Former Indian captain Kris Srikkanth tore apart struggling batter Tilak Varma after another poor showing in the fourth T20I against England in Bristol on July 9. The left-hander fell for an eight-ball 11 in India’s subpar showing with the bat of 158/7 in 20 overs.
The Men in Blue suffered another crushing defeat on the back of a poor batting display, with England completing the run-chase in the 14th over. Meanwhile, Tilak has been scratchy throughout the ongoing England series, averaging 17 at a strike rate of under 119.
Talking about Tilak Varma’s batting, Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel, Cheeky Cheeka (5:34):
“There is nothing more to say about Tilak Varma. The whole world is talking about him. Yet, he walks with such courage and conviction as the captain when Shreyas Iyer wasn’t on the field. Even Gavaskar hasn’t walked like this, with such swag. But when it comes to batting, no one scratches around like him. He looks scared when batting.”
Tilak’s concerning batting form has been one of many reasons India trail 0-3 in the best-of-five series against England.
“He’s not a finisher at all” – Kris Srikkanth on Tilak Varma’s batting position
Kris Srikkanth further questioned Tilak Varma’s constantly changing batting position in the Indian T20I lineup amid the ongoing England series. The former captain believes the left-hander cannot be India’s finisher, given his struggles against spin and high-speed pacers.
“They keep changing his (Tilak) position by the day. He’s not a finisher at all as spinners easily strangle him. He also struggles if the ball is short. He only looks the part if its medium-pace bowling. But they’ve elevated him to vice-captaincy also. People have to stop bringing his centuries in South Africa. That’s ancient history and ages ago,” said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).
Tilak has predominantly batted in the lower middle order since Ishan Kishan’s emergence in T20Is. Yet, he averages an impressive 46.35 and 54.44, respectively, at No.3 and 4 in 34 combined T20I innings.
Tilak was also elevated to Indian vice-captaincy in T20Is after the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran
