Ahead of the T20I series against Ireland and England, Tilak Varma was given a big responsibility as he was named the vice-captain ahead of the likes of Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan. However, the left-handed batter would be the first one to admit that he didn’t have an ideal UK tour, where India failed to win a single T20I. The Men in Blue would now aim to better the record against Zimbabwe as Shreyas Iyer searches for his first win as the India T20I captain.
Throughout the UK tour, Tilak received criticism over his strike rate and how he found the going tough against the spinners. The left-hander, aged 23, did get some runs but received flak for failing to read the game and slowing the tempo down.
However, ahead of the first T20I against Zimbabwe, Tilak on Tuesday opened up about facing brickbats on social media, saying he has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders after being named vice-captain, and that he cannot always play with an attacking mindset, as the situation of the match dictates his style.
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“In this game, you have to bat in different places, and especially in such conditions, it’s not easy. At the same time, I always say that I do whatever is required for the team. If I have to grind it out and play for the team, I do. If I have to hit from ball number one, then I do that. So at that time, in the conditions of the team, if you look at it, from Ireland to England, you always had four to five wickets falling inside the powerplay or the first 10 overs,” Tilak told reporters in the pre-match press conference.
“So going there and then getting out in trying to accelerate, it doesn’t make sense. So that’s what I always have in my mind, that I can go and hit the first ball. But at the same time, I’m playing for the country, so there are a lot of responsibilities. So what are the conditions of the team? If I have to play for the team till the end, our team’s plans keep changing. When you are the vice-captain, the team gives you something after thinking about it. So I want to take the same responsibilities that the management gives me, so I’m playing according to that,” he added.
How did Tilak perform in the UK?
The left-handed batter scored two fifties on the UK tour, one against Ireland and one against England. In the seven matches he played, Tilak returned with 178 runs, with his highest score of 55 coming in the 2nd T20I against Ireland in Belfast.
India, under Shreyas, lost the T20I series to Ireland 2-0 and then went down 4-0 to the Three Lions. The Men in Blue will next take on Zimbabwe in the three-match T20I series, beginning July 23.
Speaking of the series against Zimbabwe, Tilak said, “Honestly, it has been a big learning experience since the last series. We are just looking ahead, sticking to our basics, and doing well in the upcoming series. Obviously, if you see everyone has played enough domestic cricket and A-series just before this, so they are ready to play the series, and it’s just a different, it’s just the same thing, but just a bigger stage.”
India head coach Gautam Gambhir hasn’t travelled with the team for the Zimbabwe tour, and it would be VVS Laxman, who would oversee the preparations.