Tilak’s lesson from the Indore run-out: Never stop running

Happiest in the no.3 spot, Tilak said he’s happy to be malleable to the team’s demands.  | Photo Credit: AFP

The hallowed (or much maligned, depending on who you ask) turf at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium will open its arms for a few homegrown stars in an Indian team looking to cement its lead in the five-match T20I series against the West Indies.

Homeboy Tilak Varma is aware of Uppal’s flat wiles that have seen gargantuan T20 scores registered but insists the Indian batting arsenal will be anything but belligerent.

“We were discussing that the wickets here have been changed. But in T20s, you can’t go from the first ball. We’ve played everywhere. Each player has played more than 50 games in the format. You take one or two balls and get to know how the wicket is behaving, what shots to play and more,” he said on the eve of the fourth T20I.

Happiest in the no.3 spot, Tilak said he’s happy to be malleable to the team’s demands.

“Right now my role is to handle the middle phase. If quick wickets go, I can take my time and take the game deep. And if the openers or top three bat till the 14th or 15th over, I know how to change gears and go from the first ball. I have been practicing for both.”

The 23-year-old blitzed away to an unbeaten 44 off just 18 balls in Ranchi before a 16-ball 28 in Indore.

Tilak was in good spirits ahead of a fixture that could potentially decide the series and was happy that so many members in the setup – Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Tilak himself – are familiar with conditions in Hyderabad.

“Yes, we’ll have a slight edge. Ishaan, Nitish, Abhishek and myself have played here many times. More than me, the others have played here more because every year they play half of their IPL games here. So they know how the wicket behaves, how the outfield is and more.”

Tilak also addressed the run-out in Indore, which had been much discussed and rewatched since.

“There was a flash on the advertising boards and I felt that the ball touched the boards and came back inside. Axar [Patel] felt the same, so we both stopped,” he explained.

“Going forward in life, until the umpire signals a boundary, I will not stop, I will just keep running!” he quipped.