3 reasons why India should drop Tilak Varma for ENG vs IND 4th T20I

Tilak Varma is the vice-captain of India in T20Is.

Undoubtedly, under Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy, the Indian Cricket Team struggled in T20Is. In June, he was appointed the new T20I captain, replacing Suryakumar Yadav and has been winless in his first five games.

Alongside Iyer, left-handed batter Tilak Varma was named as Iyer’s deputy in the shortest format. Ever since taking the role, Varma has struggled with his consistency. Across five games since the start of the Ireland tour, the Mumbai Indians batter has hit just one fifty.

In England vs India 3rd T20I at Trent Bridge, Tilak lost his wicket for a single-digit score. As India faced their worst defeat in T20Is by 125 runs, experts and fans have questioned the Indian Team’s downfall under new leaders Iyer and Varma.

Trailing 0-2 after three games, the Men in Blue need to win the 4th T20I at any cost to avoid another humiliating series defeat. India are expected to make big changes in their batting unit in the next game, and Varma can lose his spot despite being the vice-captain.

On that note, below are the three crucial reasons why India should drop Tilak Varma in the ENG vs IND 4th T20I.

Reasons why India should bench Tilak Varma in 4th T20I

3. Tilak’s low strike rate

Tilak has a fabulous batting record in T20Is so far but has thoroughly struggled in the ongoing ENG vs IND T20I series. He lost his wicket for just 13 runs off 13 deliveries in the first T20I in Chester-le-Street. In the second game, he scored an unbeaten 24 runs off 11 deliveries but failed to add enough runs in the death overs.

Against a 201-run chase in the 3rd T20I, Varma was gone for just 3 runs off 11 balls, as the visitors suffered a horrible batting collapse. Across three games, the 23-year-old batter has a poor strike rate of 114.28 and has hit only two fours and two sixes.

While batting in the lower order, Tilak’s job is to score at a high strike rate and accumulate maximum runs in the death overs. Therefore, India should prefer a different batter as a finisher in the 4th T20I at Bristol.

2. Unable to finish matches

India batted first in the first two ENG vs IND T20Is. The first game was washed out due to rain, while the hosts chased a 191-run target in the second clash with ease. Skipper Shreyas Iyer opted for a different strategy in the third game and chose to bowl first.

In the mammoth 202-run chase, the visitors lost five batters within the first 5 overs. Batting at No. 6, Varma had a nice opportunity to showcase his batting might and take the match closer to victory.

However, he succumbed to the pressure and became a victim of Will Jacks, adding just 3 runs off 11 deliveries. This proves that Varma has struggled to finish games in the ongoing series, and the Men in Blue should go ahead with someone else in the lower order.

1. Poor performance against spinners

The 23-year-old has hit a few boundaries in the ENG vs IND series but has struggled to bat effectively against spinners.

For instance, he became a victim of spin all-rounder Will Jacks in the Trent Bridge clash. Also, Varma’s woes in tackling spin bowling have allowed the opposition to overpower and dismiss him with ease.

Stadiums in England are a little tricky, with a few supporting seamers and others providing more advantage to spinners. Hence, batters need to excel against both pace and spin to dominate in UK conditions. Tilak’s lack of excellence against spin bowling has hampered India’s batting strength.

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