Veteran batter Hanuma Vihari strongly defended Tilak Varma's place in India’s T20I playing XI after critics suggested dropping the team’s vice-captain so that young prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi could open and Sanju Samson could shift down the order.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Vihari argued against this, noting that Tilak is the designated deputy of captain Shreyas Iyer and the management trusts his finishing abilities.
He also pointed to Tilak’s clutch performances—like his fifty against Ireland and his heroics in the 2025 Asia Cup final—as proof that he handles pressure perfectly.
"I feel like laughing when many people tell to drop him. They say Sooryavanshi can come down and Sanju can play if Tilak is dropped. He is the vice-captain of the team. The management has trusted him. He does that finishing role. He scored a fifty against Ireland as well under pressure. He has always stood up in crisis situations. If you remember the Asia Cup final, he won India the game. So saying Tilak should be out does not make sense," Vihari said.
He also highlighted Tilak’s cameo in the second T20I against England at Old Trafford on Saturday (July 4). The southpaw slammed 24* off just 11 balls with a boundary and two sixes to propel India to the 190-run mark.
"He got those runs for us in the death overs which matters a lot. You need such players and Tilak has been it consistently. He played an important knock once again and took us to a good score," Vihari added.
Reflecting on the failure of Indian batting unit in the ongoing UK tour, Hanuma Vihari stressed the importance of situational awareness and tactical patience over pure aggression on difficult pitches.
"The batters have struggled here and are not able to take singles or doubles more in trying to hit the big shots. It is not more about stroke play but about when to play shots, a little smarter shot selection becomes important," he remarked.
Having suffered a 0-2 whitewash on the T20I tour of Ireland, the Men in Blue are currently trailing 0-1 in the five-T20I series against England after two matches. The third T20I will be played at Trent Bridge on Tuesday (July 7).
