"Is there a possibility of expediting Tilak Varma's inclusion to help settle number 4 debate in ODIs?"- Fans react after batter's 49* in 3rd T20I
Youngster Tilak Varma continued to impress everyone with yet another mature knock in the 5-match T20I series against West Indies. His responsible 49* (37) helped India beat West Indies by 7 wickets in the 3rd T20I on Tuesday, August 8, in Guyana.
West Indies reached 159/9 in the first innings after choosing to bat first. Rovman Powell (40*) and Brandon King (42) starred for the hosts in the batting department, helping them to a decent total.
In response, India found themselves in trouble as they lost Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill's wickets cheaply in the must-win game. Mumbai Indians teammates Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma joined forces after that and strung together a match-winning 87-run partnership for the 3rd wicket.
Suryakumar (83) was back in full flow after a couple of quiet games and played a blinder.
Varma was a perfect foil for him as he stayed unbeaten till the end. Hardik Pandya finished the match with a six in the 18th over, leaving Tilak stranded on 49, a run short of a well-deserved half-century.
Fans were highly excited after witnessing consistent performances from the 20-year-old Tilak Varma. They heaped praise on him through their Twitter reactions. Here are some of them:
It was his day to bat with a little maturity and it gave me a lot of confidence: Suryakumar Yadav on Tilak Varma
Speaking after the conclusion of the match, Suryakumar Yadav reflected on his partnership with Tilak, saying:
I think we've batted together for a long time now. We both understand how we bat together. It was his day to bat with a little maturity and it gave me a lot of confidence. I told him the way he was batting is giving me confidence to play my own game. It was running in the back of our minds but at the same time, we spoke in the team meeting."
On his Player of the Match knock, Suryakumar added:
"I think it was really important to be myself in the powerplay. That's what the team demands from me. Very happy with the way it went. I practice these strokes a lot and I love doing that. I stick to that and express myself whenever I get the opportunity."
India and West Indies will square off in the fourth T20I of the series on Saturday, August 12, in Florida.