Following his match-winning knock in the 2nd T20 International against England, India’s T20 batter Tilak Varma reflected on his game, the pressure-filled final overs, and Suryakumar Yadav’s leadership during an interview on Star Sports’ Amul Cricket Live show. Here's what he shared:
On his turning point and playing in the team:
"When Surya bhai gave me that No.3 position in South Africa, it was a turning point for me. So, I would like to congratulate and thank Surya bhai for that. As for this series, there is a left-right combination going on, so wherever I am needed, I am there. The flexibility is good, and I am adapting well to it. I am always ready."
On the message from the dressing room and coach during the last crucial overs:
"Gautam sir told me in the last innings that when you need 10 runs in an over, you can do that too. When you need 7-8 runs, your role is very crucial. So, you need to stay till the end. No matter how you play, let the non-striker score. Your job is to get one or two boundaries in an over and take singles. If you stay till the end, we win the game. He told me this in the last match as well. And even today, during the drinks break, he told me, no matter what happens, you need to play till the end. So, I had it in my mind that I would play till the end. And I believed that I would win the match."
On whether he has worked on his composure and calmness in batting:
"I have worked on my strike rate. My forward game is good. If I hit a run on the pick-up shot or the bouncer, then it will be very difficult for the bowler. So, I have worked a lot on this. My strike rate has also increased, and you can see that I am getting good results."
On what was going through his mind when wickets were falling at the other end:
"Actually, I was under a lot of pressure. Arshdeep was saying, 'I will hit it. I will hit it. I have to give a single.' So, I thought, on this wicket, Archer can't get you out. On this wicket, Adil Rashid will because his ball was moving a lot. I knew that Arshdeep would try to hit the spinner. I said, 'No, bhai.' If Arshdeep wanted to play, he should play Archer. He said he wouldn't play Archer, so I said, 'Okay, I will play.' I told him to be ready with his defence. 'Whether you get a bouncer or not, you just have to stop him. If you see him behind, bend down.' So, I don't know what he did. He said, 'If I get a bouncer, I will hit him from above.' He said a lot of things. But whatever happened, I am happy that he got a boundary off Archer. And the best thing to see was Ravi Bishnoi's batting. He has done a very good job in nets. He and Varun Chakravarthy did a very good job in batting. I had a lot of faith in both of them that they could play. I told them, 'If you want to hit, you have to hit in the gaps. If you get a single, there is no problem. If you want to bend down on the bouncer, you have to play like Test cricket.' So, actually, Ravi Bishnoi played well. If you see, he hit a flick from the front. A lot of credit goes to him too. Actually, those two fours were very important."
On Suryakumar being an absolute captain for all the youngsters as well:
"I can only say one thing, not just for me. We both play together in the IPL as well. But even for any new player, he maintains the bond so well with every player. On the field, off the field too. He gives so much time to all the players. It feels great when someone like Suryakumar Yadav, the captain of India, is with us. Even if any new kid joins the team, it doesn't feel like it with him. He bonds so well with everyone. All that makes a lot of difference on the field. Especially when you see the batting and in the field, he is very friendly with everyone. You can understand where to go, in the field, and you have to understand a few things. All that becomes easy because he spends so much time with us. So, actually, not just for me but for the rest of the team, it's very beneficial."
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