Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has hailed Tilak Varma after India obliterated Zimbabwe by 72 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Thursday. Batting at number six, Varma added the finishing touches, scoring a brilliant cameo of 44 runs off just 16 balls against Zimbabwe.
The left-hander smashed three fours and four maximums in his blistering knock as he scored his runs at a strike rate of 275. Thus, he played an instrumental role in helping India post an above-par score of 256 runs on the board.
Varma was given a different role by the team management and he was able to stand tall.
“This was the only chance. If he had wasted this chance, he might not have gotten another because it seems like our team is slightly eager to change things, or else you wouldn’t have left Rinku Singh out so quickly. You could have moved Suryakumar Yadav to No. 3 and Tilak to No. 4, and the left-right combination could have been managed,” Chopra said on his YouTube Channel.
“Sikandar Raza didn’t come to bowl in the powerplay in any case, even though there were two left-handers in the middle. I felt that if Tilak Varma had not made the most of this opportunity, things would have changed completely, but he was good,” he added.
The renowned commentator said Varma played with a lot of freedom against Zimbabwe.
“He played with a lot of freedom. In fact, he was even telling when he came for the post-match interview that he didn’t analyze anything before the game and was just focusing on watching the ball, reacting to it, and trying to score runs,” he said.
The former Delhi cricketer said Varma was liberated as he had batted with a mundane strike rate in the group stage.
“It seemed like he was liberated. The shackles that were tied, 41 percent dot balls, and suddenly, he came out liberated. He played a scoop and then hit a six over cover, which was extremely beautiful. He made his identity after this performance. He grabbed his opportunity with both hands, and the way he constructed his innings was also a delight to watch,” Chopra observed.
India will take on the West Indies at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Sunday in another do-or-die contest.
