India T20I vice-captain Tilak Varma has had a roller-coaster career in his formative years already, with 2026 proving to be quite a transformative year so far. The southpaw has had to deal with adversity and rejection at crucial stages, but has done a tremendous job of tilting things in his favor.

Not long ago, Tilak Varma was considered the long-term solution for the No.3 role in T20Is after making the most of the opportunity he got, rising to No.2 in the ICC rankings for batters in the format. However, an untimely injury ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, coupled with Ishan Kishan’s rise, left the team management no choice but to change his role entirely.

Despite his struggles adapting to the role at times, he has proven that he has what it takes to excel in the role in the long run. With India lacking another proven finisher in Hardik Pandya’s absence and prospects like Ashutosh Sharma and others yet to be developed, Tilak Varma could be the solution.

In his last two innings, the Asian Games 2026 final and the second T20I against West Indies, he has closed out the innings in style. He scored a crucial 22-ball 51 against Pakistan, and followed it up with an 18-ball 44 in his next outing, while remaining unbeaten both times.

On that note, let us take a look at the three stats that show Tilak Varma can be a long-term finisher for India in T20Is amid the IND vs WI 2026 series.

#1 A boundary every 3.09 deliveries in death overs this year

Despite his middle-overs struggle against spin, Tilak Varma transforms into a completely different entity when it comes to death overs. Possessing all gears in his repertoire, he has the ability to be aggressive from the get-go when operating towards the end of the innings.

Tilak Varma’s pure slogging ability goes under the radar among his wide range of shots and his overall sheer flair. But his ability to get boundaries on a frequent basis is highly valuable to India. This year, so far, Tilak Varma has been able to hit 31 boundaries (including 22 sixes) in the 96 deliveries that he has faced in the death overs. With a boundary almost every three deliveries, he has boosted India’s total on many occasions recently.

In comparison, specialist finishers in Indian T20I cricket like Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya average a boundary every 3.38 and 3.70 deliveries in the death overs, respectively.

#2 Second-highest T20I death-overs strike rate and average this year

Tilak Varma has scored 229 runs in the 96 balls that he has faced in the death overs this year, giving him a strike rate of 238.54. This is the second-highest this year among all batters, with only West Indies’ Jason Holder boasting a marginally higher figure of 243.40.

In terms of Indian batters, he is by far the highest, with Hardik Pandya and Shivam placed below him with strike rates of 208.33 and 197.83, respectively.

Tilak Varma is also one of the two batters in world cricket to average over 50.00 in death overs this year in T20Is. The Indian vice-captain holds a stunning average of 57.25, second only to Sherfane Rutherford, who averages an astronomical 90.50.

#3 Dismissed only four times in death overs in 11 innings

The chances of being dismissed in death overs are quite high because of the extreme risk that batters have to take on each delivery. Although it is understandable when batters perish in the death overs, at the same time, it loses valuable time for the team as it brings a new batter to the crease.

However, Tilak Varma has been dismissed only four times in the 11 innings he has featured in death overs this year. Furthermore, he has only been dismissed twice (with one of them being a run-out) in his last 10 T20I innings, proving to be a reliable player who can close out the innings consistently.

Since his switch to the middle order, he has remained not out in 11 out of 20 innings. In those 11 instances, he has played more than 10 deliveries on six occasions, making a significant impact.