Learning how to finish games from Rinku Singh, says Tilak Varma | Cricket News
Tilak Varma made his India debut back in August, ahead of Rinku Singh’s maiden appearance for the national team. During the five-match T20I series against the West Indies, Tilak was India’s leading run scorer. But when it comes to finishing matches for his team, the southpaw suggests he is learning the art from Rinku.
“I am learning how to finish games from Rinku as he is doing it consently for India. I also want to do and hopefully in coming matches I will be doing that,” Tilak said ahead of India’s second T20I match against Australia in Thiruvananthapuram.
It was Rinku who had seen the first T20I through for India earlier this week in Vishakhapatnam – wrapping up the highest ever T20I chase for India.
The 26-year-old has been a big T20 sensation since the IPL season earlier this year having scored 474 runs off 14 innings at a strike rate of 149.53. His exploits for the Kolkata Knight Riders included finishing another high-scoring thriller against Gujarat Titans where he smacked five sixes in a row to close the match.
On his role in the Indian team, Tilak elaborated, “There is no pressure of expectation on me. I just have a role and I have to fulfil that role for the team. My role at No. 5 is, if it’s in my arc, I will go for it or else just rotate strike.”
In the first T20I, Tilak was unable to leave a mark with the bat after being dismissed for just 12 runs off 10 deliveries.
“Last match, in that situation a leg-spinner was bowling, I wanted to take charge as we needed 10 per over in that situation, so it was decided I will go at the leg-spinner and for fast bowler, settled batsman Surya bhai was batting,” he says.
The southpaw however, is optimic of his form with the bat. “Before this series, I played in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 Trophy and my performance was good and I was confident, so I haven’t worked in any specific areas but aim is to continue the good form,” said Tilak, who was his Hyderabad’s top run-getter with 288 runs at a healthy strike-rate of 143, which also included a hundred and a fifty.
