Anchor or finisher? All-rounder Tilak Varma ready to switch roles at a day’s notice

Tilak Varma, who has been promoted to No. 6 because of the first-class logjam in the Indian cricket team, says he is only interested in finishing games. After the India vs West Indies T20I series, Varma said that he is not worried about his batting position and is concentrating on playing his role.

The Mumbai Indians batsman, who made a name for himself in the Indian Premier League for his excellent temperament at No.3, was forced to reinvent himself as a batsman to meet the demands of the Indian team. However, after some initial struggles, Varma managed to play clutch in high-pressure games and helped India win the 2025 Asia Cup and 2026 Asian Games among others.

In the post-series press conference, the Indian batsman said he had the technique to bat both at No.3 and No.6, but admitted that it was easier to finish the matches in the No.3 role.

“It’s not that easy to go between No. 3-6. I love finishing games for this country. I love this job. Yes, it’s easy to finish games batting at 3 than at No. 6, but we have a combination at the top and they’re doing great. I’m mentally prepared for the finisher role and I’ve already won a few matches there,” said Tilak Varma.

“I’ve got the strokes to send balls all over the ground. I’ve got the batting technique at both No.3 and No.5. I can adapt. I can play in any role for the team. It’s just a matter of one day of practice for me,” he added.

The Indian T20I team is currently in a poor position in the order, with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer and Tilak competing for places.

The Indian team management has opted for Abhishek, Samson and Ishan as the top order for now, with the skipper starting at No.4.

The vice-captain now faces even more competition for his place, with India fielding Nitish Reddy, Naman Dhir and Shivam Dube in the West Indies series. The longer batting order meant that India easily scored over 200 runs in most of their games. However, their bowling attack was kept short due to the absence of specialist bowlers.

Varma reflected on this after the series, but praised Naman Dhir, who took five wickets during the series.

“The positive thing is that we have scored 200+ in every match. It is a good sign for the team. Naman Dhir’s bowling is one of the big positives. Bowling off the bowling to the right-handers under pressure and taking (wickets) is a good sign,” concluded Varma.

India will now take a short break before playing their first T20I in New Zealand on October 22.

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