Chennai, January 26: Tilak Varma once again proved his mettle under pressure, guiding his team to a thrilling victory with a match-winning knock of 72 off 55 balls in Chennai. Chasing a target of 166, Tilak showcased maturity, anchoring the innings and ensuring his side crossed the finish line against England in the second T20I.
Reflecting on his performance, Tilak credited his approach to the message from his coach, Gautam Gambhir, and the dressing room.
"Gautam sir told me in the last innings that when you need 10 runs in an over, you can do that too. When you need 7-8 runs, your role is very crucial. So, you need to stay till the end. No matter how you play, let the non-striker score. Your job is to get one or two boundaries in an over and take singles. If you stay till the end, we win the game," Tilak said on Star Sports' Amul Cricket Live show.
Tilak revealed that the words of encouragement from Gambhir during a drinks break reinforced his focus.
"He told me this in the last match as well. And even today, during the drinks break, he told me, no matter what happens, you need to play till the end. So, I had it in my mind that I would play till the end. And I believed that I would win the match," he added.
The young batter's calculated innings was a masterclass in composure and adaptability. Tilak ensured that he kept the scoreboard ticking with singles and doubles while finding crucial boundaries at key moments. His ability to handle pressure and execute the team's strategy reflects his growing stature as a dependable finisher.
With this knock, Tilak Varma not only secured a memorable victory for his side but also reinforced his position as one of the brightest prospects in Indian cricket.
As for the match, India won the toss and elected to bat first. Barring skipper Jos Buttler (45 off 30 balls, with two fours and three sixes), the England top order once again struggled against spin. A couple of useful cameos from Brydon Carse (31 off 17 balls, with a four and three sixes) and wicketkeeper-batter Jamie Smith (22 off 12 balls, with a four and two sixes) took England to 165/9 in their 20 overs.
Axar Patel (2/32) and Varun Chakravarthy (2/38) caused England the most trouble.
In the run chase, India suffered setbacks in the first half, as Abhishek Sharma (12), Sanju Samson (4), skipper Suryakumar Yadav (12), Dhruv Jurel (4), and Hardik Pandya (7) perished one by one. Tilak got assistance from Washington Sundar (26 off 19 balls, with three fours and a six), in a 38-run partnership that helped India cross the 100-run mark from a poor situation of 78/5. After Sundar and Axar (2) perished in quick succession, with 40 runs left, Tilak had partnerships with Arshdeep Singh (4) and Ravi Bishnoi (9*) that helped India secure a win with two wickets and four balls to spare.
Carse's brilliant spell of 3/29 and a strong spell of 1/14 by spinner Adil Rashid went in vain as India took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
