India’s Tilak Varma (PTI Photo/Shiva Sharma) Tilak Varma’s rise in India’s T20I setup continues to gather momentum, with the left-hander establishing himself as one of the most reliable run batsmen at international level. Among players from Test nations with at least 500 T20I runs in the chase, Tilak is currently second in the batting average charts, bettered only by Virat Kohli. Kohli leads the charts with 2013 runs from 48 innings at an excellent average of 67.10, with a highest score of 94 not out.
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At just 23, Tilak had already amassed 518 runs in 15 innings during the chases at an impressive average of 64.75, with a top score of 72 not out. The numbers underline his growing reputation as a calm and reliable presence when the goals are on the board. The ongoing five-match T20I series against South Africa has further highlighted his form. In the first two games, Tilak scored 88 runs. He started with 26 in the opener before producing a fluent 62 off 34 balls in the second T20I. Despite the quality of this innings, India suffered a 51-run defeat in the contest. Overall, Tilak’s T20I record continues to strengthen. He has amassed 1084 runs in 38 matches at an average of 47.13, batting at 145.50, with two hundreds and five half-centuries. A closer look at his batting positions shows that his strongest returns have come at number three. Batting there, Tilak scored 443 runs in 13 innings at an average of 55.37, while operating at a strike rate close to 170. At number four, he amassed 490 runs in 14 innings at an average of 54.44, including two fifties, such as his unbeaten 69 in the Cup final against defeat at 28, although his position in Asia dropped to 18.6.0 Speaking ahead of the third T20I against South Africa, Tilak made it clear that flexibility is not an issue for him. He said he’s ready to bat anywhere from number three to number six, depending entirely on what the team asks of him.
