NEW DELHI: India captain Suryakumar Yadav was full of praise for Tilak Varma after his match-winning knock steered India to a nail-biting two-wicket victory against England in the second T20I in Chennai on Saturday. Tilak’s unbeaten 72 off 55 balls anchored India’s chase of 166, with four balls to spare, in a game that swung back and forth until the very end.
“Very happy with the way Tilak batted,” said Suryakumar during the post-match presentation. “Good to see someone like him taking responsibility. Ravi Bishnoi also deserves credit; he has been putting in the hard work in the nets and wants to contribute with the bat. Both of them showed a lot of character today.”
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The match saw India under pressure at various stages, with the required run rate climbing and wickets falling at crucial moments. With 20 runs needed from the final three overs, Tilak remained calm and placed his faith in Bishnoi, who chipped in with two valuable boundaries, including a flick off Brydon Carse and an edge against Liam Livingstone.
Reflecting on the tense chase, Suryakumar expressed relief that the team held its nerve. “A little bit of relief. The way the game was going, we felt 160 was good, but the way they bowled, it was good that the game went down to the wire. We’ve been playing with an extra batter for the last few series, and that depth really helped today,” he said.
Suryakumar also highlighted the team’s aggressive approach, a shift in mindset that has been evident throughout the series. “The chat was to play like the last game. Good to see we are playing an aggressive brand of cricket. At the same time, the guys put their hands up and stitched the small partnerships. That was key in taking the pressure off,” he noted.
The skipper credited the relaxed atmosphere in the dressing room for enabling the players to express themselves freely. “The boys have taken off a lot of pressure, and the atmosphere in the dressing room is light. There will be days it won’t come off, but we know what we want to do. If we’re on the same page, good things will take place,” he added.
India’s bowlers also played a pivotal role, restricting England to 165/9 on a two-paced surface. The disciplined effort provided a platform for the batters to chase down the target, despite the mid-innings jitters.