Ahmedabad, February 21 Tilak Varma's spirited batting in all four league matches of the T20 World Cup hasn't gone unnoticed, but captain Suryakumar Yadav dismissed suggestions about replacing him, as the role he is performing is according to the team's management's directives.
Tilak, whose career strike rate is over 141, has seen it dip to the 120s as he has been struggling against slow bowlers on tracks where the ball grips more.
Unlike his captain Suryakumar, who also sometimes plays anchor, Tilak hasn't been able to switch gears, having only 11 boundaries and three sixes in four games.
"I've told him, the team management has told him that he has to bat that way. If one wicket falls, he can definitely come out and play his own aggressive game in the powerplay," Suryakumar explained.
"But as soon as two wickets fall, he needs to take a backseat, rebuild the partnership, and get to the 10th over, after which we have enough firepower to continue and take on the bowling," Suryakumar added.
However, Suryakumar said that Tilak has also set higher standards for himself.
"Definitely, I'm sure he must be unhappy with his current batting, I'm sure. He has been practicing a lot in the last 2-3 practice sessions. But I have no concerns about him. He has been performing very well for India at No. 3, and I am very confident that he will continue to do so," Suryakumar said.
Suryakumar dismissed suggestions that Sanju Samson could replace Tilak.
"Should I make Samson play instead of Tilak?" he laughed.
"We're making 40-50 runs in the powerplay. That's normal cricket. We have also played well in bilateral series. It happens. We also have expectations from ourselves, such as aiming for 220, 240, or 250," Suryakumar said.
"But the wickets have been a bit different here. The four wickets we have played on so far have been challenging. The off-spinners were not bowling earlier, but they are now. So, we have started preparing for that, and hopefully, we will be able to handle it as we begin our Super 8 journey," Suryakumar added.
However, Suryakumar is very satisfied with his bowling unit, which allows him to stay in the game even when the team scores 175-180.
"I am very proud of my bowling unit. I know that if we ever make 170, 175, or 180 because of the high-risk, high-reward game we are trying to play, then we have a good bowling attack that can save the match and win it," Suryakumar said.
"Look, I never thought that our team would score 250, 270, 220, or 230. But the way we are playing cricket now, you will see in the future that if we get a good start, everyone bats with the same template. But if you don't get a good start, you have to think about what the team needs," Suryakumar said.
There could be dew on Sunday, but Suryakumar feels that the toss is overrated right now.
"I think that the toss is overrated right now. If you look at this tournament, a lot of teams have won the toss and batted first in different venues. We have also batted first in all four games. I think I have lost three out of four tosses," Suryakumar said.
"So, if we bat well in the first innings, even if there is dew, we still have an opportunity to defend if we have confidence in our bowling unit. I don't think the toss will matter much, but we will still see what we want to do tomorrow," Suryakumar added.
One question that was bound to arise was whether the "law of averages" would catch up with a well-oiled team, and Suryakumar didn't want to entertain those thoughts.
"We don't think about that much. Like I said, we try to stay in the present. We win so many games, but that's history now. And if you think about which game you're playing on that given day, or if you think about that, it's not easy, it's difficult," Suryakumar said.
"Because sometimes when you play good cricket, then from here and there, like you said, the law of averages, you can hear the voice. But, it's okay, but we try to avoid that a little bit," Suryakumar concluded.
