Former India batsman Aakash Chopra praised Tilak Verma for his match-winning innings in the second T20I of the three-match series against Zimbabwe. Chopra said that after facing repeated questions about his place in India’s T20 team, the left-handed batsman answered his critics with the bat.
India won the second T20 match by 90 runs at the Harare Sports Club on Saturday, July 25. They scored a mammoth score of 219/5 before bowling out Zimbabwe for 129 runs. Tilak played an unbeaten inning of 60 off 29 balls as India clinched the three-match series with one game to spare.
Should have shown a little more confidence – Aakash Chopra defends Tilak Verma
While talking on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said that batting in the lower middle order is not easy. Chopra urged fans to show more patience and stop questioning Tilak Verma after every series.
Chopra said, “If the team had to reach 219, Tilak Verma’s contribution was necessary. You will look back and say that this is Zimbabwe. A player can score runs only against the team that is in front of him. It is not easy to bat lower down the order. Tilak tries to accelerate. He is doing his job and needs to have some patience.”
“It won’t work if we ask to drop a player after every series. From that point of view, this innings from Tilak Verma is kind of a reminder that a little more confidence should be shown in him. He has been trolled a lot for why he has been kept in the team. He is doing his job, and he is doing a tough job.”
Tilak’s record for India in T-20 is excellent. He has scored 1,634 runs in 55 innings at an average of 44.16 and a strike rate of 145.37, which includes two centuries and nine half-centuries.
You don’t play for milestones – Aakash Chopra lauds Ishan Kishan
Aakash Chopra also praised Ishan Kishan’s innings, saying that the wicketkeeper-batsman was always focused on increasing India’s scoring rate rather than slowing down to reach individual milestones.
Chopra said, “It becomes a bit difficult when two players get out early. However, then Ishan Kishan came in and he was looking very good for a century. There were seventeen balls left when he got out.”
“However, when you play aggressively, you don’t play for milestones. You think less about them. You only think about maximum performance and that is exactly what Ishan Kishan was doing.”
After India were reduced to 29/2, Ishan made an important partnership of 66 runs with Shreyas Iyer for the third wicket. He scored 81 runs from 44 balls and kept the batting steady before Tilak Verma put the finishing touches. The left-hander won the Player of the Match award.
This is my time – Aakash Chopra on India’s batting order
Aakash Chopra also said that sending Ishan Kishan at No. 3 was the right decision as India needed an experienced batsman to rebuild the innings after losing two quick wickets.
Chopra said, “If our opening partnership had been good then I would have asked Rinku to be sent instead of Ishan because you have selected him and have not given him chances till now.”
“However, when two early wickets fell, you had to send Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer had to come in because it was the rebuilding phase. So Ishan Kishan came in and hit a lot, and said, ‘This is my time.’
After rebuilding the innings, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Verma added 94 runs for the fourth wicket, helping India score 219/5. After this, the visiting team bowled out Zimbabwe for 129 runs and won the series with one match remaining.