‘I can bat from No. 1’: Tilak Varma hits back at batting average criticism ahead of Zimbabwe tour | Cricket News

Tilak Varma responds to criticism (Image: ANI)

India T20I vice-captain Tilak Varma During the recent T20I tours of Ireland and England, he hit back at criticism over his batting average, insisting that he always bats based on team requirements rather than personal milestones.The left-hander has come under scrutiny after scoring 178 runs at a strike rate of 131.85 in 7 T20Is across two tours. While he scored 55 in the second T20I against Ireland and 53 in the fifth and final T20I against England, questions have been raised about his performance in the middle order.However, ahead of India’s T20I series against Zimbabwe, Tilak made it clear that he has the ability to attack from the first ball but will choose his approach based on the match situation and the needs of the team.

“I can bat from No. 1, but I will play according to the situation”

Explaining his batting philosophy, Tilak said adapting to different batting positions and overseas conditions required him to take responsibility rather than pursue aggressive strike rates.“In this game, you have to bat from different positions, especially in this situation, which is not easy. At the same time, I always say that I will do whatever the team needs. If I have to give my best for the team, I will do it. If I have to bat from ball number one, I can do that,” Tilak told reporters at the pre-match press conference.The 23-year-old pointed out that India’s top order collapsed repeatedly during the tours of Ireland and England, forcing the middle order to rebuild the innings instead of playing freely.“From Ireland to England, there were a few games where we lost four or five wickets in the power play or the first 10 overs. There’s no point in going in and trying to accelerate immediately in this situation. This has always been in the back of my mind. I know I can bowl the first ball but I am playing for my country and that comes with responsibility,” he added.

“Team plans take precedence over personal data”

Tilak further revealed that as the vice-captain of the Indian team, he was given specific responsibilities by the team management and he preferred to execute the plans rather than focusing on individual statistics.“Everything depends on the needs of the team at that moment. Sometimes I have to bat till the end and sometimes the team’s plan changes depending on the match situation. As vice-captain, the management has given me certain responsibilities after careful planning and I want to fulfill them. That’s why I play as per the team’s plan,” Tilak said.

The British Tour’s strike rate reached 131

Tilak Varma ended the 2026 tour of Great Britain and Ireland with an overall T20I strike rate of 131.85 and scored 178 runs from 135 balls faced. He also had some explosive cameos during the tour, such as in the T20I final at Southampton, where he had a strike rate of 212.00 (53 off 25 balls).