Tilak Varma; India's Swiss Army knife T20 batter

By Deivarayan Muthu, Jan 26: An Indian No.3 picks up Jofra Archer over long leg for six in T20I cricket. One of the fastest bowlers in the world is left stunned. The shot leaves jaws on the floor.

It happened in 2021 in Ahmedabad. History repeated itself four years later in Chennai. Except the No.3 wasn't Suryakumar Yadav this time. Tilak Varma did SKY things - like owning the spaces behind the square - and added his own touch.

The odds were stacked against Tilak: Archer and company clocked speeds north of 150kph, Adil Rashid was getting the ball to rip, wickets kept tumbling around him and the Chepauk pitch was not conducive to strokeplay. This unbeaten 72 off 55 balls was a coming-of-age innings.

India's regular No.3 in T20Is and captain Suryakumar was so impressed that he bowed down to Tilak after he nervelessly finished a chase of 166 with four balls to spare. Tilak also bowed down to Suryakumar before they exchanged hugs, with the Chepauk crowd cheering on India's No.3s.

The mood at the start of the chase was very different. Archer and Wood had ripped out Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson with 148kph rockets. Everyone held their breath when a similar rapid delivery from Wood beat Tilak on the hook and whooshed past his head. Everyone except Tilak. He still kept throwing punches. With the black-soil Chepauk track playing true to its nature and slowing down, he understood that he had to maximise the powerplay.

Tilak Varma and Suryakumar Yadav bow down to each other after India's thrilling win. Photo: BCCI

Tilak manufactured a swinging room, exposed his stumps, and violently cracked Archer over point for four to start the fifth over. Then, when Archer slanted into his pads next ball, he unleashed that pick-up shot over long leg for six. Two balls later, when Archer aimed for Tilak's head, he spliced him over the keeper's head for six more in a thrilling sequence. In all, Tilak took Archer for 30 off nine balls - no other batter has scored more runs off Archer in a T20 innings. In the end, Archer was left nursing his worst T20 figures: 4-0-60-1.

"If you see I want to target [England's] best bowlers," Tilak said at his post-match press conference. 'If you take on their best bowlers, other bowlers will be under pressure. So, [even] when the wickets are falling, I want to take their best bowler. It's easier for the [batter] at the other end also. So I backed myself and I took chances against him. And also whatever shots I have scored for Archer, I have worked in the nets. Mentally I was ready for that. So, it has given me a good result."

Tilak's ultra-aggression would've even made England coach Brendon McCullum proud, but he was prepared to dial it down after India suffered a middle-order slide. With the surface also offering more grip and turn to the spinners in the second innings, Tilak sat back and saw off Rashid, England's lone specialist spinner.

In Rashid's last over, Tilak farmed the strike and dealt with the first five balls before leaving the No. 9, Arshdeep Singh, with just the bare minimum to do. Though Arshdeep holed out the next ball, Tilak stayed cool, farmed the strike again and got the job done along with No.10 Ravi Bishnoi.

"I know I can play both types [of innings]," Tilak said. "I can hit with a good strike rate and also at 6 or 7 [runs per over], I can bat at a higher strike rate. That is what I have discussed with Gautam [Gambhir] sir in the last match. He said that you can play with a good strike rate over 10 [an over] also and below 10 [an over] also. When a team requires, you should be flexible and I got the chance to prove it in this game.

"I said that I will be playing till the end. And that is what Gautam sir also said during the drinks break. He said that it is a time that you can show the people that you can play both innings. So, I said that whatever happens I will be staying till the end and I want to finish the game."

Tilak shifted up the gears and finished the chase in grand style with a drilled four through the covers off a slower variation from Jamie Overton. Coming off back-to-back T20I hundreds on fairly flat pitches in South Africa, this innings, in tougher conditions to see off a chase that required thought and nuance, showed that Tilak might be a Swiss army knife of a batter. Versatile, adaptable and powerful.

With Tilak also acing the No.3 role - he has scores of 72*, 120*, 107* in his last three innings there - he gives India the option of maintaining a left-right combination, if Abhishek falls early, and holding Suryakumar back. And if India can't find room for Washington Sundar once the first-choice players return from injury, Tilak can pitch in with his occasional off-spin and fill that hole as well.

Tilak is only 22, but he's already opened up endless possibilities for India in T20Is

(Deivarayan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo)