WATCH: Tilak Varma Picks Maiden Wicket Off His 2nd Ball In International Cricket; Mumbai Indians Ask 'Is There Anything…'
Everything that the Tilak Varna of Team India touches turns to gold. In the T20 series against the West Indies, this is precisely what took place. With a total of 173 runs from 5 games, Tilak finished the series as India's top run scorer.
Aside from the fifth T20I, Tilak participated in every game. The second game was when he hit his first T20I fifty. When Hardik Pandya offered to bowl an over for him in the fifth T20I, the young player seized the chance and made the most of it.
Tilak took his maiden wicket, Nicholas Pooran, on the very second delivery of his international career. A superb flighted delivery from Tilak, an off-break bowler, enticed Pooran to pursue him.
Pooran attempted to reverse-sweep Tilak, but the ball ended up going to Hardik at first slip after cutting the edge off the toe end of the bat. As the dangerous-appearing Pooran made his way back to the dressing room, the second wicket fell.
Here is a video of Tilak Varma's first wicket:
Despite Tilak's genius in the series, India was unable to prevail. In actuality, this was India's first defeat in any series, across all formats, in 17 years. The most recent defeat in a T20I series was in 2017.
It's fair to say that India's T20 World Cup intentions are still hazy, and the Men in Blue may need to reorganise their team at some point.
Watching India's performance in the three-match series against Ireland would be exciting. There aren't any Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, or Hardik Pandya there.
Jasprit Bumrah and Prasidh Krishna returning from injuries will be advantageous for India. In the series, BCCI will keep a careful check on their level of fitness.
Regarding the defeat against the West Indies, skipper Hardik Pandya said that losing series is "fine" because it is a necessary part of the "process". "When I entered, we lost the initiative and were unable to take advantage of the circumstance.
I think we'll put ourselves to the test. We strive to improve. In retrospect, it's all right. We don't need to go into much detail. I am aware of the boys' dynamics inside the crew. We have time to think things over. Sometimes, it's wonderful to lose. Positively, we have gained a lot of knowledge.
The youngsters behaved honourably. They merit praise. They persisted in coming and experimenting. After losing the series 3-2, Hardik noted, "It is part of the process.