Indian batter Tilak Varma has shed light on his absurd run in the third T20I against the West Indies. Varma said there was a flash on the hoarding and thus he and Axar Patel thought the ball had reached the boundary ropes but it wasn’t to be the case.
The incident happened in the 17th over of the innings when Axar Patel flicked a ball towards the deep fine-leg boundary. Kamil Pooran stopped the ball and threw to the keeper’s end.
Patel was quick to notice the same and reached his end at the striker’s end after fist-bumping with Varma but the Indian vice-captain wasn’t aware and didn’t get back into his crease before Gudakesh Motie got rid of the bails at the non-striker’s end. As a result, Varma was dismissed after scoring 28 runs off 16 balls and his dismissal left India in trouble.
Speaking at the press conference, Tilak Varma said, “People are saying a lot of things about the run out. Actually, there was a flash on the hoardings behind the boundary. When the flash came, I thought the ball hit the hoarding and came back inside. Not only me, even Axar felt the same. That’s why both of us stopped together. Both of us felt the same [that it was a four].
“Unfortunately, the ball was thrown at Axar’s end. I was at the non-striker’s end, so I couldn’t see the ball. My teammates were screaming from outside, asking me to get back into the crease. If Axar had known, he could also have told me to run. But since, I thought it was a boundary, I was walking. It happens. But, in the future, I will keep running until the umpire signals a boundary.”
Varma said he is someone who always cherishes pressure situations.
“I am the man who always wants to take pressure. Right now, my role is to handle the middle order, and I can take my time and take the game deep.”
The fourth T20I between India and the West Indies will be played at Hyderabad on Wednesday.
