POST the West Indies T20I series in India, Tilak Varma was asked a question with respect to his batting position. After shifting ever so slightly during the press conference, the southpaw moved closer to the mic before speaking about the change. "For me," he began post the final game of that series in Bengaluru, "if you see, it will be slightly easier batting at 3. But unfortunately, now I should bat at 5 or 6 because we have got the combination at the top.
"It's not that easy to change the numbers from 3 to 5 and 6. It will be slightly challenging. But I have been working on that. How can I finish the games? I have said that I love finishing the games for the country."
Inside a packed Hagley Oval at Christchurch on Saturday night, Varma again showed why he loved 'finishing games'. Even though he doesn't particularly relish this role, he times an onslaught to perfection. Against a Kiwi attack sniffing the blood of the Indian lower-order and a chance to equalise the series — coming into the second game, the visitors were leading 1-0 — Varma decided to take it deep. But wanting to take it deep is one thing. Having full conviction in that belief is a totally difficult thing.
It generally means you stop worrying about the asking rate, target one specific bowler and mentally decide that you have to hit 'x' number of sixes and 'y' number of fours if you are to ace this chase. He did all of that to help India win the second match of the series with one ball to spare.
With the visitors chasing 181 to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series, Varma had joined Axar Patel with the score at 4/69 off 10.4 overs. Soon enough, they had slumped to 6/112 in 14.5 overs to leave them gasping.
But with Nitish Kumar for company — the all-rounder enhanced his reputation with a timely unbeaten 13-ball 26 — Varma began the (51* of 26, 6x4, 1x6) charge with only 18 balls remaining. He himself was on a fairly middling 17 off 13 when he got stuck into a Jacob Duffy over. Duffy, who had been the pick of the bowlers till then, was hit for boundaries either side of the wicket to help bring the required runs from a steeping 46 off 18 to a more manageable 29 from 12.
Off the next over, delivered by Nathan Smith, the Hyderabadi climbed into him with three fours and a six. In the process, he also showcased his full range as he not only combined touch with muscle but also accessed different parts of the ground. For the first boundary, he cleared short third-man. His second, a screaming hit in front of square on the leg-side, was via deep mid-wicket. The sequence of fours was complete as the third one, a hook, went through backward square leg. The six off the last ball, though, was the one that really set the game in the final over. With Smith moving away from the stumps and targeting a seventh stump line, Varma carved it over wide long-off.
It was a serious innings under immense pressure, one reminiscent of the unbeaten 69 against Pakistan during the Asia Cup final last year. This knock means that Varma's position in this format has to be in the middle-order where he can better pace his innings. In the first game, for example, he was No. 3 and departed for a 11-ball 6. "I was just thinking about playing till the end," he said after the game. "I was talking to Gauti sir and Kotak sir (coach Gautam Gambhir and batting Sitanshu Kotak) that 'whole India believes in you' and that if I can bat till the end, we can win." A few more knocks like this and he will be a permanent fixture in this position.
Brief scores: New Zealand 180/5 in 20 ovs (Phillips 70, Jacobs 58; Arshdeep 2/33) lost to India 181/6 in 19.5 ovs (Tilak 51 n.o, Dhir 31, Nitish 26 n.o; Santner 4/21).
