Team India T20I vice-captain Tilak Varma talked about having to bat at no. 5 and 6 for the Men in Blue side and changing his mindset and batting style as required. Tilak Varma had batted at no. 3 in the first T20I of the ongoing series against New Zealand but moved to no. 5 thereafter.
He played an all-time brilliant knock of 51*, helping India win the second game in Christchurch, chasing an 181-run target. Tilak has built a reputation of being a chase master over the last 12 months.
“I already had the power game; I have scored runs at number three as well. Now, batting at number five or six, I think about going for a boundary off the very first ball only if it’s there to be hit. Otherwise, I concentrate on prolonging the game. I take a bit more time. Initially, I focus on singles and doubles, finding gaps for fours or two runs,” Tilak told reporters ahead of the 4th T20I.
Tilak claims that because bowlers are under greater pressure than batters, he enjoys playing with their minds when pacing the run chase.
“In the end, overs, as a batter, the bowler is under far more pressure than I am. That positive thought is constantly running in my head, that the bowler is under more pressure, so they are bound to leak runs,” he added.
On his match-winning stand with Reddy at the Hagley Oval, he said, "I just told Nitish, if we pull the match off from here, it’s going to be immense fun. Let's remain on the field, prolong the game, and observe the outcome."
India has already pocketed the series with a 3-0 lead, but Tilak stated that the team is determined to make it 5-0.
“We are thinking this is a great opportunity to achieve a clean sweep. The next goal is to win the upcoming match and give the Indian crowd a great chance to witness a 5–0 series win,” he stated.
Tilak said it was not easy to adjust to the conditions and the time zone after landing in New Zealand just days after playing West Indies at home. He stated that there are no excuses at the highest level and that the T20I side is here to provide momentum to the Indian ODI and Test teams.
“At this level, we cannot make excuses. We must set standards for the young players who look up to us at this level. Gautam Sir (head coach Gautam Gambhir) made it clear in team meetings that this is a long tour and the standard we set as a T20 side will provide momentum for the ODI and Test squads,” added Tilak.
(PTI inputs)
