Tilak Varma on going after Jofra Archer in Chennai T20I: ‘I wanted to target their best bowler’ | Cricket News

India’s player of the match in the second T20I in Chennai, Tilak Varma, revealed why he targeted England’s best bowler, Jofra Archer.
Varma scored 30 runs off nine deliveries from Archer, including four sixes. The English speedster conceded 60 runs in four overs. Varma guided India to victory from 78 for 5 in the 10th over, chasing down the target of 166 with four balls to spare against England, finishing with an unbeaten 72 off 55 balls.
“If you see, I want to target their best bowlers. If you take on the best bowlers, other bowlers will be under pressure,” he told reporters at the press conference.
“So when the wickets were falling, I wanted to take on their best bowler. It also makes things easier for the team.
“I backed myself and I have taken chances against him. Whatever shots I have played against Archer, I have worked on them in the nets. I was mentally prepared for that. It has given me a good result,” he added.
India’s Tilak Varma celebrates after hitting the winnings runs during the second T20 cricket match between India and England at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, India, Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)
Varma also acknowledged the difficulty of facing England’s two 150 kph bowlers, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood, who had troubled other batters.
“Archer and Wood were consently bowling at 150 kph. So with the pace, I think it’s slightly tougher to hit square of the wicket,” he explained.
“So I just wanted to use the pace and hit it as much as possible behind the wicket. That’s what I did, and it was successful.
“Our batsmen have also worked hard on this. Unfortunately, it didn’t come off in this game. If you see Sanju Bhai, Hardik Bhai, Surya Bhai, and Abhishek, they have all done well recently. It will happen one day.
“But when the team is struggling, that’s where you have a nice opportunity to showcase your skills. I got the opportunity, I did well, and I am really happy about it.”
Tilak attacked Archer in his final over and received late support from No. 10 batter Ravi Bishnoi. While Tilak was initially hesitant to rotate the strike, Bishnoi stayed around for 14 balls and even hit two boundaries for 9 not out.
England gave spinner Liam Livingstone the penultimate over, with 13 runs needed off 12 balls. Bishnoi’s boundary helped them score seven runs off the over.
Varma finished the game with two balls to spare in the final over, a game England seemed to have in its grip but ultimately failed to close out.
“Actually, I wanted to finish the game. Ravi Bishnoi, Varun Chakravarthy, and Arshdeep Singh are all working hard on their batting skills. My only advice to them is to leave the bowling bouncers and play with the front foot, which will make it easier.
“That’s what Ravi Bishnoi demonstrated against fast bowlers and also against Livingstone. I told him not to take on Livingstone, just look for the gaps and hit. He did that, hit that boundary, and made the job much easier,” he said.