Daijiworld Media Network - Bridgetown
Bridgetown, Feb 22: India captain Suryakumar Yadav on Saturday defended Tilak Varma amid criticism over his subdued performances in the league stage of the ICC T20 World Cup, stating that the batter is following a specific role assigned by the team management.
Tilak, whose career strike rate is above 141, has seen it dip to the 120s in the ongoing tournament. Across four matches, he has hit only 11 boundaries and three sixes and has found it difficult to accelerate, particularly against slow bowlers on surfaces offering grip.
Explaining the team’s strategy, Suryakumar said Tilak’s cautious approach is by design.
“I have told him, the team management has told him that he has to bat that way. If one wicket is down, he can go and play his natural game in the powerplay. But as soon as two wickets are down, he has to take a bit of a backseat, build a partnership, get to the 10th over and then we have enough firepower to take on the bowling,” he said.
The skipper acknowledged that Tilak would expect more from himself but expressed confidence in his abilities.
“Definitely, I am sure he must not be happy with how he is batting right now. He has practiced a lot in the last two-three sessions. I don’t have any concern regarding him. He has been delivering for India at No. 3 really well and I am confident he will do better,” he added.
Suryakumar also dismissed suggestions of replacing Tilak with Sanju Samson, responding with a laugh when asked about the possibility.
On India’s powerplay performance, the captain said the team’s scoring rate has been reasonable, though expectations remain high following prolific bilateral series performances.
“It’s going well in the powerplay. We are making 40-50 runs, which is normal cricket. But we have high expectations of ourselves — to make 220, 240 or 250. The wickets here are a little different and challenging. Off-spinners are coming into play more, so we have started preparing for that,” he said, referring to India’s upcoming Super 8 matches.
The skipper also expressed faith in India’s bowling unit, especially in defending competitive totals.
“I take a lot of pride in my bowling attack. If we make 170, 175 or 180 while playing a high-risk, high-reward game, we have a bowling attack that can save and win the match,” he said.
Suryakumar noted that while massive totals like 250 or 270 may not always be possible, the team’s aggressive template remains intact.
“The day you get a start, everyone bats with the same template. But on days you don’t get that start, you have to think about what the team needs,” he added.