T20 WC: Gavaskar lauds Varma’s composed knock in India’s opener vs USA, calls him ‘street-smart cricketer’
New Delhi, Feb 8 : India’s narrow escape against the USA in their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup opener has drawn praise and pointed analysis from former captain Sunil Gavaskar, who highlighted Tilak Varma’s composure while also outlining what he expects from India in their next match against Namibia.
Defending champions India began their home World Cup campaign with a tense 29-run win over the USA at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. After being asked to bat first, India slipped to 77/6 on a challenging surface before recovering to 161/9, thanks largely to a counterattacking innings.
The USA threatened briefly in the chase but were eventually restricted to 132/9. While captain Suryakumar Yadav’s unbeaten 84 and Mohammed Siraj’s 3/29 proved decisive, Gavaskar singled out Tilak Varma for his maturity under pressure.
“Tilak Varma is a very street-smart cricketer. He has been very impressive not just for his batting skills or his range of shots, but for knowing when, how, and where to play them. He showed that against the USA. He came in to bat in the second over after Abhishek Sharma, the team's main aggressor, got out. At that stage, Tilak knew he needed to counter-attack, but without taking big risks,” Gavaskar said while speaking to JioStar.
“He was not being over-aggressive, but took calculated chances. He played a chip shot over mid-on because he knew the fielder was inside the circle. He was not trying to hit a six, just a boundary. Tilak is the kind of player who will stick with you. We saw this in the Asia Cup final too, where he took his time and then exploded at the end. So, if a player like him comes in during the first six overs and is still there by the 14th or 15th over, you can be pretty sure India is close to 200 runs,” the former India captain added.
India entered the tournament under pressure after injuries and illness ruled out key players, including Jasprit Bumrah for the opener. The early collapse exposed vulnerabilities, but the recovery ensured a crucial start in a tight group.
Looking ahead to India’s clash with Namibia at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, Gavaskar believes team balance will depend largely on Bumrah’s fitness, as he said, “The team management will obviously be looking at Jasprit Bumrah's fitness. They might want him to bowl more in the nets before the match. If Bumrah is fit, he will walk back into the team. I do not see any other changes happening. We will have to wait and see if Mohammed Siraj or Arshdeep Singh make way for him. Maybe they will rotate between Arshdeep, Bumrah and Siraj to keep all of them fresh for the latter half of the tournament.”
“Batting wise, I do not see changes being made. They will just expect better scores from the batters and they would surely want Abhishek Sharma to play a big, quick innings of 70, 80, or 90 runs. The thing about Abhishek is, when he gets out early in one match, he often scores big in the next game and I feel the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi is in for a treat from his bat when India plays Namibia,” Gavaskar stated.