Auckland [New Zealand], October 29 (ANI): Ahead of the fourth T20I against New Zealand, Indian batter Tilak Varma said that he has been working on his bowling behind the scenes ahead of the 2027 Cricket World Cup and is confident about bowling some useful overs in limited-overs cricket for India if needed.
With the series at 3-0 in favour of India, the next two T20Is are a chance for India to continue their dream run and eye a clean sweep, while for Kiwis, it is all about respect in front of their home fans.
Speaking about his bowling for T20Is and ODIs, especially with the 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup in South Africa being the next focus for India, Tilak, who bowls useful right-arm spin, said to reporters, "The team management and I have discussed this, and I have put in a lot of work on my bowling."
But he said that his fellow Mumbai Indians (MI) teammate has been bowling really well, so there is no immediate need for him to roll over the arm, but he would step in if needed.
"Right now, Naman Dhir is in the squad and bowling well, so there hasn’t been an immediate need for me to roll my arm over. But behind the scenes, I practice regularly and feel confident in my bowling. When an opportunity comes, I bowl. Right now, Naman is doing a solid job in T20s, and when someone is bowling well, you do not take the ball away from them. But whenever an opening arises, I will certainly step in and do the job," he said.
Across his T20I career, Tilak has taken five wickets at an average of 12.80 and has bowled sparingly with an economy rate of 6.09. He has a total of 12 T20 wickets at an average of 27.33, with best figures of 27.33.
Naman has, however, made an impact with his bowling, with five wickets in five innings at an average of just over 24, with best figures of 3/31. Despite going for runs sometimes, he has the ability to bounce back and take a wicket soon after.
Tilak, who is known to be an electric presence on the field, making fine saves, pulling off stunning catches and stopping the run-flow from hot zones, said that he never looked at it as a burden, but always enjoys it. His athletic frame and running have also helped him as a fielder.
"I have been a good fielder since childhood. Whenever I practice fielding, I never look at it as a burden. When playing overseas, there’s wind, cold weather, and the ball wobbles in the air, but I’ve always genuinely enjoyed fielding. I never complain about spending long hours on the field. The more you enjoy it, the better the results come naturally. Being athletic naturally helps. On the field, I like taking responsibility and running hard. Wherever the fielding hotspots are, I immediately put myself there. The team also trusts my catching ability, so they prefer placing me in those key positions. That allows me more opportunities to stop runs and take catches. When you pull off good catches, the crowd and fans enjoy it too," he said. (ANI)
"Put a lot of work on my bowling": Tilak Varma ahead of 4th NZ T20I
