India won a thrilling match in Chennai thanks to a spectacular rescue by Tilak Varma. India defeated England by 2 wickets in a 166-run chase because of the left-hander's tenacious 72* off 55 balls while playing at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, on January 25 (Saturday). Tilak Varma held his ground, batted with the tail, and helped India cross the finish line with just four balls left, although the great Indian batsmen were hit by awful strokes all through the innings. In the series' second T20I, Varma displayed a sophisticated batting display by hitting four fours and five sixes in his innings.
Surykumar Yadav on Tilak Varma
Indian cricket team's captain Suryakumar Yadav hailed Tilak Varma for his heroic knock and said his innings was something everyone can learn from and it was really great seeing someone take responsibility. He also praised Ravi Bishnoi for his contribution to the 20-run partnership in the end.
"A little bit of relief. The way the game was going, we felt 160 was good, but the way they bowled, was good that the game went down to the wire. We have been playing with an extra batter for the last few series. That batter gives us two-three overs. The chat was to play like the last game. Good to see we are playing an aggressive brand of cricket, at the same time, guys put their hands up and stitched the small partnerships," said Surykumar Yadav in the post-match presentation.
"Very happy with the way Tilak batted, something to learn for everyone. Good to see someone take responsibility. Ravi Bishnoi putting the hard work in the nets, he wants to contribute with the bat. The boys have taken off a lot of pressure, the atmosphere in the dressing room is light. There will be days it won't come off, but we know what we want to do. If we are on the same page, good things will take place," he added.
India won a thrilling match in Chennai thanks to a spectacular rescue by Tilak Varma. India defeated England by 2 wickets in a 166-run chase because of the left-hander's tenacious 72* from 55 balls. Tilak Varma kept his ground, batted with the tail, and helped India cross the finish line with just four balls left, while the great Indian batsmen failed by making awful strokes throughout the innings. In the series' second T20I, Varma displayed a sophisticated batting display by hitting four fours and five sixes in his innings.
In a nerve-racking chase for India, Varma showed off his amazing maturity by skillfully navigating the English bowling lineup. Tilak cut and flipped Jofra Archer for sixes early in his innings, displaying a lot of freedom in his shots. But as hitters at the other end began to fall like a deck of cards, the batter had to calm down and evaluate the situation.
Around the 16th over, Varma again destroyed Jofra Archer for a 19-run over, marking his second flourish. Arshdeep Singh, the eighth wicket in the Indian innings, attempted to be heroic by taking on Adil Rashid in the penultimate delivery of the 17th over of the match, but the hosts lost him just as it looked like India would win easily.