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Tilak Varma set to lose place from Indian team?: India vs England fourth T20I is set to be played in Bristol at the Bristol Cricket Ground. This is a must-win game for the Men in Blue side in order to keep their hopes alive for the series; otherwise, they are on the verge of losing back-to-back T20I series for the first time since 2018/19.
India are already 2-0 down, as they suffered a hefty defeat in the last game by 125 runs, as they were bowled out for 76 runs while chasing a target of 202 runs. India's 125-run defeat against England in the 3rd T20I at Trent Bridge is their largest margin of defeat by runs in men's T20I history, and it was also their second-lowest total in history.
"He really needs to improve his ability"- Mohammad Kaif on Tilak Varma's inability to play spin
One of the concerning factors for Team India has been Tilak Varma, as he has been struggling to get runs for the past few months. Ahead of the fourth T20I match, former India batter Mohammad Kaif has taken a brutal dig at the team’s vice-captain. Kaif is surprised to see Tilak Varma unable to handle spin well and is not able to even rotate strikes.
While speaking on his YouTube channel, Kaif said, “He really needs to improve his ability against spin. I'm honestly surprised that an Indian batter struggles so much against spin. Forget hitting boundaries, he isn't even able to rotate the strike. Many players who can't attack spin at least take singles and doubles to keep the scoreboard moving. Tilak isn't even doing that.”
"He feels the pressure"- Mohammad Kaif feels Tilak Varma is running against time
Mohammad Kaif also feels that Tilak's failure to rotate strikes and play more dot balls has caused him to take risks and play big shots during pressure situations. He feels that the Southpaw must hit the ball in the right areas and at least rotate the strike.
“As a result, dot balls keep piling up. Then he feels the pressure to play a big shot, and in the process, he gets out, just like he did when he was stumped. That's why I'm really concerned about his quality against spin. The ball isn't even turning much. Just vary the pace slightly and bowl in the right areas, and he struggles to score.”
Mohammad Kaif advices Tilak Varma to change his game
Mohammad Kaif also feels that it will be difficult for Tilak Varma to survive in the team if he continues to fail to score runs in the middle overs and also fails to score big runs. As of now, the Southpaw has scored 19, 55, 13, 24 not out, and 3 in his last five innings.
“He has to improve his game against spin. Otherwise, he'll keep getting trapped in T20 cricket. Even yesterday, he was on 3 runs off 11 balls. That's why you often see him on 19 off 19.”
“It's because he plays too many dot balls against spin and can't find boundaries in the middle overs. Then, when the death overs arrive, he starts hitting boundaries and covers it up. But being on 20 runs off 20 balls in the middle overs is very risky.
