Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan talked about the importance of the role that young Tilak Varma will play for the Indian team in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 and even compared him to legendary Virat Kohli and his role in the previous edition of the ICC 20-over event.

Suryakumar Yadav will captain the Indian team, with Axar Patel as his deputy.

Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan believes India has a Kohli successor for the tournament, citing Tilak Varma's participation. Irfan emphasized Tilak's importance to India's strategy and reminded fans of his elimination in the 2025 Asia Cup final.

"Tilak Varma has batted at No. 3 and No. 4. He has absorbed pressure and hit hundreds. Tilak also played an outstanding knock against Pakistan in the 2025 Asia Cup final, and India wouldn’t have won if not for that innings. In that regard, Tilak has raised his stock exponentially. It’s the kind of role Virat Kohli used to play," Irfan said on his YouTube channel.

"Kohli is a massive player, and whenever there was pressure, he used to absorb it exceptionally well. He didn’t score in the entire T20 World Cup, but people trusted him to come good in the final. Kohli played a knock that wasn’t as fiery, but given the situation, it was critical.

You wanted a player to be at the crease and score runs so that the Indian bowlers get that margin to take the game deep. They eventually got it. No doubt, the bowling deserves plenty of credit, but that innings from Kohli came at the right time,” Pathan added.

Tilak presently holds the third spot in the ICC T20I rankings. In 20 T20Is, he has 567 runs at an average of 47.25, including four half-centuries. He is currently injured and will miss the first three T20Is of the five-match series against New Zealand.

Pathan also feels that Tilak is more important to the Indian team than other batters, due to his consistency.

"The same way as how Tilak Varma played in the final. India had lost three wickets in the power play, and he backed his game plan by taking calculated risks. Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube played some high-risk shots as India eventually won the final. If a player like that is not there, Sanju Samson, for instance, is not a consistent run-getter. He will play fast but may not be consistent.

Abhishek Sharma plays high-risk cricket and missed out on the Asia Cup 2025 final. Hence, bigger teams will plan better for him, and there are higher chances to lose your wicket," Pathan said.

India is placed in Group A in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 along with Pakistan, the USA, Namibia, and the Netherlands.