Injury rules out Shivam Dube of India's three T20Is against Bangladesh, Tilak Varma called in as replacement

India suffered a massive blow before the three T20Is against Bangladesh after Shivam Dube was ruled out of the series owing to a back injury. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released a statement to rule Dube out of the series and named young Tilak Varma as his replacement. The southpaw will link with the Indian team in Gwalior on Sunday morning ahead of the opening T20I.

"All-rounder Shivam Dube is ruled out of the three-match T20I series owing to a back injury. The Senior Selection Committee has named Tilak Varma as Shivam's replacement. Tilak will link up with the squad in Gwalior on Sunday morning," BCCI said in a statement.

Tilak had a blistering outing for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. He showed his knack for garnering runs effortlessly by taking the fight against the opposition bowlers. In 13 matches, he racked up 416 runs at an average of 41.60 at a strike rate of 149.64. His explosiveness in the cash-rich league was further glistened by 35 fours and 19 towering maximums.

The 21-year-old has represented India in 16 T20Is, garnered 336 runs, striking at 139.41 and averaging 33.60 with two fifties to his name. Tilak has a big task of filling Dube's shoes, who is known for providing the firepower according to his will, especially during the middle overs.

He lit up the T20 World Cup final in Barbados with his quick-fire 27(16) at a whopping strike rate of 168.75, laced with three fours and a sole towering maximum. His dynamism towards the end propelled India's score to a competitive total of 176/7.

His explosiveness towards the end was one of the factors that contributed to India's T20 World Cup win over South Africa. Overall, during India's title-winning tournament, in eight matches, he scored 133 runs at an average of 22.16, scoring a strike rate of 114.65.

The three-match T20I series will start on Sunday, with the first T20I in Gwalior. The next two T20Is will take place on October 9 and 12 in Delhi and Hyderabad, respectively. Suryakumar Yadav will lead the Men in Blue in the shortest format of the game. Sanju Samson and Jitesh Sharma have been picked as the wicketkeeper-batters in the side.

Young left-hand opener Abhishek Sharma returned to the squad after not being picked up for the Sri Lanka T20I series. Young faces Riyan Parag and Nitish Kumar Reddy are also in the mix. Hardik Pandya and Washington Sundar will add depth to the batting and bowling departments with their all-rounded abilities.

Ravi Bishnoi and Varun Chakaravarthy have been picked as the spinners of the team, whereas Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, and Mayank Yadav are added to the team as seamers. Mayank received his first-ever national call-up after making the speed gun tickle in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Delhi-tearaway scythed seven wickets in four games for the Lucknow Super Giants during a season plagued with injuries.

India's updated squad for the T20I series against Bangladesh: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Riyan Parag, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakaravarthy, JItesh Sharma (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav, Tilak Varma

Bangladesh squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (C), Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Tawhid Hridoy, Mahmud Ullah, Litton Kumer Das, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hassan Miraz, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Rakibul Hasan. (ANI)