‘Tilak Varma played for himself’: Srikkanth fires Indian batter after series defeat

Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth criticized Tilak Varma after India’s shock one-run defeat to Ireland in the second T20I in Belfast on June 28.Chasing 155 to level the two-match series, India were reduced to 19/3 in the third match when Tilak Varma came into bat. The 23-year-old struggled to steady the innings but could only manage a slow-paced 55 off 46 balls. The rest of the batting line-up also struggled as India lost one run and suffered a 0-2 series defeat.Taking to his YouTube channel, Srikkanth criticized Tilak and the other batsmen: “Tilak Varma was trying to go all the way and be a hero. He was thinking of winning it in the end and celebrating by lifting the jersey. These targets need to be chased with gusto and not go all the way.”“You can’t play the way India did in the middle stage, especially Tilak Varma, Dube and Axar. All their strike rates were bad. You have to settle down a bit and then start attacking in the middle stage. Otherwise, if you fail in the middle stage, you are out. India lost the game in the middle stage. Tilak Varma was just playing for himself when he was sneaking in the ones and twos.”Tilak also struggled in the first T20I, scoring 21 off 19 balls as India lost by 34 runs.Srikkanth also criticized India’s approach during the middle overs of the second T20I. The visitors went seven overs without hitting a single boundary, with Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube and Axar Patel unable to score freely.“There was a time when there was a 45-ball no boundary in the middle stage. How can you win a T20 match like that? It’s a shame that Medicore’s Irish bowling finished this line-up of Indian batsmen. Even in the IPL, look how many of these top Indian batsmen scored in Lucknow? Because in Lucknow, the wicket helped the swing and the Indian bowlers needed very few Indian batsmen. till the end,” Srikkanth said.Before this series, India had won all eight of their previous T20Is against Ireland. The 0-2 defeat marked India’s first ever series loss to Ireland in the format.