Alert record! Tilak Varma joins elite club in fielding India’s best catch-rate in T20Is
NEW DELHI: India vice-captain Tilak Varma may have pulled off an unusual run in the third T20I against West Indies, but the match also marked a major personal milestone for the left-handed batsman. Tilak became only the fifth Indian fielder to complete 50 catches in T20Is during Sunday’s match in Indore, joining an elite list that included Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav and Virat Kohli.What makes Tilak’s achievement particularly impressive is the efficiency with which he achieved the milestone. His 50 catches have come in just 68 T20I appearances, giving him a dismissal rate per innings of 0.757 – the best among Indian fielders with at least 50 fielding catches in the format.Globally, Tilak’s rate is second only to Muhammad Waseem of the United Arab Emirates, who took 76 catches in 99 outings at a rate of .767. Among the 34 players who have taken at least 50 catches in the field in men’s T20Is, only Waseem has a better ratio.
Tilak joins India’s elite catching club
Tilak’s achievement puts him alongside some of India’s most respected fielders in the shortest format. Rohit leads the list with 65 catches followed by Hardik with 64, Suryakumar with 58 and Kohli with 54.
Most catches as a fielder for India in T20Is
- Rohit Sharma – 65
- Hardik Pandya – 64
- Suryakumar Yadav—58
- Virat Kohli – 54
- Tilak Varma – 50
Achieving the milestone in just 68 matches underlines Tilak’s contribution in this area and his record number of catches per innings ranks him among the most prolific outfielders in men’s T20I cricket.
A bizarre escape foils Tilak’s expedition
The milestone came during a match in which Tilak was also involved in an unusual dismissal. Batting in the 17th over, he and Axar Patel appeared to believe that West Indies fielder Kamil Pooran had touched the boundary rope when he stopped a Gudakesh Motie shot.The pair completed a single and exchanged punches, assuming the ball would be called for a four. But Pooran kept the ball in play and returned it quickly. Axar pushed forward at the striker’s end while Tilak continued towards his crease, seemingly oblivious to the situation. Motie collected the ball and broke the stumps at the bowler’s end, with the third umpire confirming the run-out.Tilak departed for 28 off 16 balls, including four boundaries. However, India recovered to post 223, powered by Abhishek Sharma’s 69 off 30 balls, and went on to beat the West Indies by 14 runs.Arshdeep Singh took three wickets and Naman Dhir two as West Indies finished on 209/7. The win gave India a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
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