Abhishek Sharma’s three consecutive ducks have overshadowed Tilak Varma’s concerns in the middle overs and against spinners in the T20 World Cup 2026. Team India has struggled post-powerplay, especially in the 7 to 10 overs, and Tilak has been one of the reasons behind the slowdown.
Intent or lack thereof seems to be an issue. Tilak looks willing to just rotate strike against spinners. He isn’t going for his shots. But it turns out that’s the plan. India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav has revealed that the Men in Blue aren’t looking to just bash their way out of trouble.
India’s plan for Tilak Varma
The pitches have been tricky in the T20 World Cup. Only once has India managed to go past the 200-run mark. After the USA match, India realised the surfaces aren’t true. You have to outsmart, not outhit, your opponents.
“We are ready to adapt to any wickets. We’ve played on tricky pitches so far; we know what kind of batting we need on them. We are trying to explode, but we don’t want to be the kind of team that keeps hitting. We need to play smart cricket too. We have enough firepower to score 60-70 runs. The day we get a good start, we’ll go aggressive,” Suryakumar said on the eve of the India vs South Africa match.
The India team management has specifically told Tilak to consolidate. If India loses a couple of wickets, the southpaw has been told to ensure there isn’t a collapse.
Suryakumar stated that Tilak isn’t exactly pleased that he can’t go hard, but that’s what the team wants him to do. To anchor the innings, which allows him, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, and Rinku Singh to attack from the get-go.
“The team management has told Tilak to play that way. If 2 wickets are down, he has to play out some overs and take a backseat. I’m sure he must not be happy with the way he’s batting; he’s been working hard in practice, but I’m not concerned about him,” the Indian captain added.
Tilak Varma stats in T20 World Cup 2026
| Innings | Runs | Balls | Average | Strike Rate | Highest Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 106 | 88 | 26.50 | 120.45 | 31 |
Cricket
Tilak Varma 'told' to bat slow, consolidate in middle overs: Suryakumar Yadav before IND vs SA match
