India cricket team batter Tilak Varma has no problem batting down the order and said that he has been accustomed to such a role in the IPL as well. After a string of poor performances while batting at number 3 in the T20 World Cup 2026, the star scored an unbeaten 44-run knock off 16 deliveries, helping India reach 256/4 in their second Super 8 fixture against Zimbabwe. Tilak claimed that he was no stranger to batting at number 6, adding that he played without any struggle and wasn’t boggled by being asked to bat down the order.
Tilak Varma has no problems being India’s finisher
Speaking after the IND vs ZIM Super 8 tie, Varma stated that he has switched between batting in the top three to being a finisher for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL for the last four years. Like every other Team India member, he is happy to fulfill whatever role the management requires him to do so. Tilak said that he was just waiting for one good innings, adding that it has boosted his confidence.
“I always say that whatever team needs, I am up for it. So I have done the same role (switching up between stabiliser and a hitter in the middle-order) for the last four years in IPL for the Mumbai Indians, and also I have done in a few games for the Indian team. So I am up for it. Whatever the team needs, I am up. And according to the situation, I can adjust. But as I said before, I was just waiting for one innings. So I am really grateful to God for that. I am pretty confident now that, going forward, I can win the games for the team,” Tilak Varma said.
Varma’s 44-run knock was studded with 3 fours and 4 sixes, and he boasted of a strike rate of 275, the highest among Indian batters in the game. Prior to the game against Zimbabwe, the batter had registered knocks of 25, 25, 31 and 1 in four games, clearly struggling while batting at number 3 or four. Tilak’s statement after the game on Thursday suggests that he is very well okay with batting down the order and is able to function more freely,
Cricket
Tilak Varma credits IPL in helping him adapt to new role as India's finisher at T20 World Cup
