‘We’re T20 champions, we should display our brand of cricket,’ says batter after scoring his maiden international ton
A rare opportunity to bat at No. 3 was all Tilak Varma needed to justify skipper Surya Kumar Yadav’s faith. Having badgered his skipper to be allowed to bat at his favourite position, the southpaw seized the opportunity at SuperSport Park to score a marvellous 107 (56b; 8×4, 7×6), his first international century, and set up an 11-run win for India in the third T20I against South Africa.
Varma had reservations about the dual nature of the pitch when he came in to bat. “Bahut slow hai (it’s too slow),” he was heard telling partner Abhishek Sharma after he came out to face the third ball of the innings. A top edge that grazed the helmet proved a minor distraction and he soon found his bearings.
“He (Surya) gave me an opportunity to bat at No. 3,” Tilak said. “I love to bat at No. 3 or 4, but in the last two matches I played at No. 4. Last night (on Tuesday), Surya came to my room and said that I’ll bat at No. 3. I told him that I’ll perform. That’s why I pointed the bat at him,” Tilak said of his celebration after reaching his maiden T20I century. Tilak was under a bit of pressure coming into this game — his previous two outings in this fourmatch series at No. 4 saw him score 33 in Durban and 20 in Gqueberha.
Earlier this year, in the IPL, Tilak suffered an injury and missed training for two months. Having missed two T20I series in the process, he needed a big knock to prove his mettle and regain confidence.
“I suffered an injury in the last game of the IPL. I missed series in Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. I was feeling very bad but I was patient and focused on my process. I worked very hard,” Tilak said.
Fortunately for him, the Indian team management has been very supporting and encouraging. With such emphasis on aggressive intent, the youngsters are looking to emulate the brand of cricket India played en route to winning the T20 World Cup this year. “We had a lot of backing from the team. Even when we flop, we are told to play with positive intent.
“We are the World Cup champions (T20), we should display our brand of cricket. There was no pressure. Even if we lose a wicket early, we’re told not to worry. We followed the basics and played with positive intent,” he said after India took a 2-1 lead in the fourmatch series.
‘Definitely a three-format player’
Back home, his coach Salam Bayash, who used to give him a 41-km scooter ride daily before Tilak’s family moved closer to the academy, was naturally over the moon seeing Tilak score a hundred.
“I have never seen Tilak so happy. He called me around 2.30 am (IST) after the match and expressed his joy over his first century. He is a very quiet lad. It was so heartening to see,” Bayash told TOI on Thursday.
The coach also backed his ward to do well in the red-ball cricket. “He spends more time training with red ball than white. I am sure he will do well in Tests. He is definitely a three-format player. He has been working hard on his bowling too.
“When he was out of the game for two months with injury to his left hand, he was nervous and tense. But he trained hard on his bowling and his fitness,” Bayash added.
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