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Tilak Varma backs India team management’s flexible T20 approach, supporting tactical batting order changes like Axar Patel’s promotion, as India prepares for the T20 World Cup.
Tilak Varma batting along with Axar Patel (AP)
India batter Tilak Varma got here out in support of the team management’s philosophy of flexibility and adaptableness, emphasising that modern T20 cricket requires players to regulate their roles based on match situations.
Speaking ahead of the third T20I against South Africa, with the five-match series tied at 1-1, Tilak highlighted that experimenting with the batting order is a deliberate strategy as India builds towards the T20 World Cup next yr.
Tilak addressed concerns about frequent middle-order changes and Axar Patel’s promotion up the order, explaining that these decisions are driven by tactical needs slightly than fixed roles. In keeping with him, the present setup encourages most batters to be mentally able to bat at any stage of the innings if it advantages the team.
Also Read: ‘Everyone Is Flexible…’: Tilak Varma Defends India’s Experiment With Batting Orders
“Everyone seems to be flexible except the openers. I’m up for batting at 3, 4, 5 or 6 — wherever the team prefers for me,” Tilak said in the course of the pre-match press conference.
He added that the ultimate decision at all times rests with the team think-tank, and players willingly support that vision. “If the team feels a selected move is tactically best, everyone goes with the team.”
Tilak also addressed Axar Patel’s recent promotion, explaining that such decisions are usually not experimental gambles but calculated calls based on game scenarios. He noted that similar decisions have been successful in recent international tournaments, reinforcing confidence on this approach.
“One-off games keep happening. Axar Patel has already done the identical thing and he did well there. It is dependent upon the situation,” he said.
‘Just An Exploration’
When assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate was asked about Axar batting at five within the series-opener and number three, he said the team is trying different combos as there are a couple of games in hand before the World Cup.
“And I suppose, being quite frank, we found ourselves being 35 for 3 more times than we might have liked within the last couple of months,” Ten Doeschate was quoted as saying after the second T20I.
“So it’s just an exploration into how we will extend the batting, the link between the openers and the fellows who wish to are available and smash it around, perhaps when things do get a bit of bit easier.”
The Indian skipper had also tried to defend the move.
“We just thought within the last game, we’ve got seen Axar bat rather well within the longer format. And we wanted him to bat back the identical way today as well. Unfortunately, it didn’t work, but he did bat well. But we’ll see what’s up for us happening in the subsequent game,” Suryakumar Yadav had said on the post-match presentation.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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December 13, 2025, 19:24 IST
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