Tilak Varma, India’s middle order batsman, stated that the squad fell about ten runs short with the bat after their second consecutive defeat in the ongoing T20I series against the West Indies. On Sunday at the Providence Stadium in Guyana, the hosts chased down the 153-run mark with two wickets in hand and seven balls to spare.
After winning the toss and electing to bat, India managed to register 152 for 7, thanks primarily to Tilak’s 41-ball 51, his maiden half-century in international cricket. When India were struggling at 18 for 2 in the fourth over, the southpaw went in to bat and then rejuvenated the innings with Shubman Gill (23-ball 27) and Hardik Pandya (18-ball 24). West Indies dominated the run chase with Nicholas Pooran’s 40-ball 67 in what appeared to be a competitive total on a challenging pitch. Despite Hardik Pandya’s triple strike and Yuzvendra Chahal’s brace keeping India in the game, India was always playing catch-up.
Tilak praised Pooran’s performance, saying, “The wicket was on the slower side and two-paced.” We think a score of 150-160 would have been appropriate. We may have fallen 10 runs short, but our batters put up a terrific fight.
“Of course, credit to Pooran for his excellent batting.” He applied pressure on the bowlers. We knew that if we could get one wicket, we could preserve the game because the surface was slow and batting wasn’t simple. It was a wicket for the bowler. Unfortunately, because it’s such a silly game, it could flip around and we could’ve made a comeback.”
Tilak also agreed that the West Indian bowlers took advantage of the conditions with their variations. While Romario Shepherd, Alzarri Joseph, and Akeal Hosein each had a brace, all of their frontline bowlers were economical, never allowing the Indian innings to get momentum.
“They bowled really well,” he commented. “They made excellent use of their slower and longer lengths.” They did an excellent job of utilizing the wind conditions. We’ll sit down and talk before returning stronger.”
Despite the fact that the squad has lost both games thus far, Tilak has created an early impression on the international scene. He has been in the company of Rahul Dravid, who was his coach even when he was under-19, and has spent a significant amount of time talking the game with the Indian head coach even after practice sessions on the Caribbean trip.
“I’ve been with Rahul sir since the Under-19 world cup,” he stated of his chats with Dravid. He always advises me to stick to my fundamentals and spend as much time as possible at the wicket. He always advises me to have fun with my game. Hardik bhai was saying the same thing to me. He reminded me that you’ve done well in the IPL and at home, so just enjoy your game.”
