‘I’m thinking about going for the boundary on the very first ball’: Tilak Varma on his new role in India
India vice-captain Tilak Varma says his move from No.3 to the middle order has brought about a shift in his batting approach, with the left-hander now looking to attack from the start whenever the opportunity arises.Having established himself as a reliable run-getter over the past 12 months, Tilak has adapted to batting at No. 5 or 6 by balancing his attacking instincts with the need to go deep into the game.“I’ve already had a power play; I’ve scored at number three as well. Now when I’m batting at number five or six, I think about going for the boundary from the very first ball only if it’s there to bat,” he said ahead of the fourth T20I against New Zealand.“Otherwise, I focus on deepening the game. I take a little more time. At first I focus on singles and doubles, looking for gaps for fours or two runs,” he added.This approach served him well, even during India’s thrilling chase in the second T20I against New Zealand, when he combined with Nitish Kumar Reddy to see the team through a tricky situation. India have since taken an elusive 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
“BouhaĊ is under much more pressure”
Tilak believes that handling the pressure on the bowlers is an important part of his approach during the closing stages of the chase. Rather than letting the situation dictate his decisions, he tries to remind himself that the pitcher is the one facing more pressure.“At the end of the overs, as a batsman, the bowler is under a lot more pressure than me. That positive thought keeps running through my mind that the bowler is under more pressure, so he has to run away.”Recalling his crucial partnership with Reddy at Hagley Oval, Tilak said he encouraged his batting partner to stay in the crease and keep the chase alive rather than worrying about the result.“I just said to Nitish, ‘if we take the game out of here, it’s going to be a lot of fun. Let’s hang in there, take the game deep and see what happens’.”
India eye series 5-0
Despite clinching the series, India have no plans to let up in the remaining matches. Tilak said the team wants to make the most of the opportunity to complete a clean Test.“We think this is a great opportunity to get a clean sweep. The next goal is to win the upcoming match and give the Indian crowd a great chance to witness a 5-0 series win.”The Indian team arrived in New Zealand shortly after completing their home series against the West Indies. Tilak acknowledged that adjusting to the different conditions and the new time zone was challenging, but insisted that the players could not use that as an excuse.“We can’t make excuses at this level. We are at the highest level and we have to set the standard for the youngsters who look up to us.“Gautam sir (head coach Gautam Gambhir) has made it clear in the team meetings that this is a long tour and the standard we have set as a T20 side will give impetus to the ODI and Test teams,” Tilak added.With the T20I series already secured, India will look to maintain their momentum and carry the same standards into the remaining matches of the New Zealand tour.
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