'It's not easy': Tilak Varma responds to strike rate criticism ahead of Zimbabwe T20Is

Ahead of the T20I series against Ireland and England, Tilak Varma was given the role of vice-captain while players like Sanju Samson and Ishan Kishan were also in the race. However the Mumbai Indians (MI) batter failed to create an impact with the bat, as India failed to record a single win in the seven T20 games across the UK tour. 

The Men in Blue will now aim to make a strong comeback against Zimbabwe, with Shreyas Iyer also looking to claim his maiden series win as India's T20I captain.

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Ahead of the pre-game press conference, India's T20I vice-captain has opened up on his slow strike-rate criticism, saying that every game demands different approach. While continuing Tilak claimed that he will play as per the requirements of the team. To back his case, Verma noted the example of the recent assignments against Ireland and England, where the team witnessed wickets in quick succession. 

“In this game, you have to bat in different places, and especially in such conditions, it's not easy. At the same time, I always say that I do whatever is required for the team. If I have to grind it out and play for the team, I do. If I have to hit from ball number one, then I do that. So at that time, in the conditions of the team, if you look at it, from Ireland to England, you always had four to five wickets falling inside the powerplay or the first 10 overs,”

How Tilak Varma performed in the T20I series against Ireland and England

During India's tour of Ireland and England, Tilak Varma endured mixed form with the bat, recording two half-centuries. Across seven T20I games, the star left-handed batter managed to score 178 runs at an average of 29.67 and a strike rate of 131.85.

Though his middle-over strike rate witnessed a steep decline in games where India endured a batting collapse, he still finished the England series with a blistering 25-ball 53.

India's squad for T20I series against Zimbabwe:

Shreyas Iyer (captain), Tilak Varma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Shivam Dube, Suryansh Shedge, Rinku Singh, Harsh Dubey, Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Yash Thakur, Ashok Sharma, Mayank Yadav, Prabhsimran Singh.

Schedule for India vs Zimbabwe T20I series: