India, Jan. 8 -- Tilak Varma has been ruled out of the first three T20Is against New Zealand, the BCCI confirmed through an official update on its X (formerly Twitter) handle.

The board stated that Tilak's availability for the remaining two matches will be assessed later, with the decision dependent on his progress during the return-to-training and skill phases. No further details were shared regarding the nature of the injury or a specific recovery timeline beyond that assessment window.

Tilak's absence removes a settled left-handed option from India's T20I batting group at a crucial point in the season. Over the past year, he has emerged as a flexible middle-order batter capable of adapting to different match situations, whether stabi...