3 reasons why Tilak Varma at No. 5 is Team India's biggest headache amid ENG vs IND 2026 T20Is

× From a near-invincible looking side during the dominant run-in to the T20 World Cup to a side that has lost some of its sheen, Team India's trajectory has not been on the rise as expected. A series defeat to Ireland, coupled with a shaky start in the abandoned first T20I against England, the Men in Blue have struggled of late overall, and most of it has to do with the batting. Ad Team India's batting unit has been a massive let down in terms of adaptability after months of dominant outings in the subcontinent have been followed up with equally meek outings overseas.

With conditions for the top-order challenging, and Shreyas Iyer settling into his place after a long absence, Tilak Varma had huge responsibility on his shoulders. However, instead of stepping up, he has regressed once again to pose some serious questions regarding his role and place in the team. Since his injury at the start of the year, the southpaw has been a tame version of his best self.

As his struggles continue at No.5, a role that he actually started off his international career, the team management might be forced to take a massive call soon. Ad Trending On that note, let us take a look at the three reasons why Tilak Varma at No.

5 is Team India's biggest headache amid ENG vs IND 2026 T20Is. #1 Tilak Varma's switch to No.5 was not a planned move Tilak Varma's struggles in the middle order is a massive Deja vu moment in itself.

Back in 2024, when he was struggling to carve a place for himself while playing in the middle order, with only a handful of cameos to show for and nothing tangible, it was a promotion up the order that helped him to cement his place in the side. Ad Successive hundreds in South Africa, and some brilliant knocks under high-pressure run chases in early 2025, made him an undisputed member of the top four in the T20I setup. But with only 107 runs in his first five matches in 2026 at No.

3, Team India were forced to demote him in the order, and reconstruct their batting unit altogether. His poor numbers and the left-handed influence at the top, forced India to make the tweak, and while it paid off in the short-term, it left a massive problem in the long run. With Tilak Varma now looking lost at No.

5 following a demotion that neither he nor the team management expected to make, Team India are now paying the price in the form of an imbalanced batting unit. Ad Now without any vacancy in the top-order, and an unintended candidate in Tilak Varma at No.5, there is a sense of inevitability looming where another batting order reset takes place, or the player finds a way to survive in the new role.

#2 Disrupts the team's momentum The biggest challenge that Tilak Varma has had to tackle in the middle-order has been his tempo, and his starts. The player had shown promise as a finisher towards the end of the T20 World Cup, but a change in conditions, which led to early wickets, might need him to play more overs, especially in the middle phase. Ad Playing against spin in the middle overs has been the Achilles' heel of many talented Indian players in recent years, with the most notable examples being Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja.

To make matters worse for such players, there are candidates like Rajat Patidar, who have set the bar so very high in terms of pushing the team forward in the middle overs. In his last three outings, Tilak Varma has scored 87 runs in three matches at a strike rate of 108.75.

In those three outings, he only hit four boundaries outside the powerplay, and the spinners had largely pinned him down. It has been a pattern that has been building up slowly with time. In IPL 2026, his strike rate against spin was only 105.

70, while the same figure read 127.00 and 156.60 in 2025 and 2024, respectively.

Ad The same pattern can be observed in T20Is as well. When he had his rise 2024, he used to strike at 190.20 against spin, and that number has critically dropped to 118.

70 and 100.00 in 2025 and 2026, respectively. A massive reason why this affects the team's momentum, as a lower strike rate naturally brings about a higher dot percentage as well, a figure that reads a stunning 37.

90 percent in Tilak Varma's case this year in T20Is, similar to his 32.90 percent in IPL 2026. Ad #3 Premature elevation to vice-captain has complicated things further Team India have not hesitated to drop an individual from the playing XI in the past if performances do not come even after a long rope.

Considering that there is almost always a ready-made candidate waiting on the sidelines, the team management have the luxury to do so. However, even if Team India wants to shake things up in the middle order, they are in a way, trapped with Tilak Varma, and have no option but to wait for him to be back in the runs and find the tempo as soon as possible. The fact that he was recently made vice-captain means that the management have to give him the vote of confidence for the sake of the player and the team.

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