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Tilak Varma has explained how head coach Gautam Gambhir’s advice helped him and Ravi Bishnoi chase 166 runs in Chennai.
Tilak Varma with the Player of the Match award. (PC: Sportzpics)
Tilak Varma, India’s hero in the second T20I win against England at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday, has revealed how a simple piece of advice from head coach Gautam Gambhir helped him lead the 166-run chase.
Gambhir asked the left-handed batter to ‘look for one boundary an over’ if the situation of the chase came down to India needing seven runs/over to win. Varma didn’t use that idea directly, but helped his tail-end partner, the number nine Ravi Bishnoi, execute it from him on the other end when India needed 20 off 18.
Bishnoi hit one boundary against pacer Brydon Carse in the 18th over and another against spinner Liam Livingstone in the 19th. With six needed off six balls, Varma carved Jamie Overton to seal the win for India.
“First of all, the wicket was slightly two-paced. One after the other, the wickets were falling. Gautam sir told me that you have to bat according to the situation,” Varma said after the match.
“He told me if we need 7-8 runs an over, then I should look for one boundary every over. Yes, the plan is to come in at no.3 if a left-right combination is required. Archer and Wood were really quick and were bowling well. But we were prepared. We work hard in nets. The advice to Bishnoi was to hold the shape while playing his shots and it worked out. You saw the couple of boundaries he hit, it was extraordinary. That made it easier to finish the game,” he added.
Varma carried his bat after coming at number three when India was 19/2. He lost senior partners quickly as every English bowler picked up at least one wicket and Carse alone took three. He ended with a 55-ball 72, with four boundaries and five sixes at a controlled strike-rate of 130.91. It was the highest score in the match.
For the Hyderbadi start, it was just another in line of his stunning shows at number three. Since Virat Kohli’s retirement from T20Is, he has done everything to make the position his own. Against South Africa last year, he scored back-to-back centuries from the position to help India win the series.
