IND vs SA 3rd T20I: Tilak Varma has revealed that the Men in Blue have applied a flexible batting style in the shortest format in order to adapt to conditions of different pitches. In the second T20I, Axar Patel came to bat at the No.3 position but only scored 21 runs off as many balls as they lost the second match by 51 runs in Mullanpur, and helped South Africa to level the series.
While chasing a mammoth target of 214 runs, the hosts were skittled out for 162 runs. Gautam Gambhir was heavily slammed for changing the batting order and making some unnecessary changes.
The host will try to take the lead when they lock horns with South Africa for the third T20I on Sunday. Tilak, who had scored a gritty knock of 62 runs off 34 balls, came out in support of Gambhir's style and said that besides openers, the batting lineup, including himself, is flexible.
Also Read: After Chaos In Kolkata, Lionel Messi Reaches Hyderabad For the Second Leg Of the GOAT Tour
“Absolutely, everyone is flexible except the openers. I’m ready to bat at No. 3, 4, 5, or 6, wherever the team wants me. Everyone knows the batting order is flexible,” Tilak told reporters in the pre-match conference.
READY TO BAT ANYWHERE
He also supported the idea of Axar attaining the No.3 position in Mullanpur and said that he had scored a gritty knock of 47 runs off 31 balls while batting at the No.5 position in the summit clash of the 2025 Men's T20 World Cup against the same opponent. He revealed that the other batters play with the mindset of batting at any position as per the situation.
“It depends on the situation. You’ve already seen this with Axar Patel in the World Cup—he went up the order and did well. One-off games happen. At that time, whatever feels best for the team, everyone keeps the team first. No one thinks about individual positions. I’ve said I’m ready to bat anywhere for the team, and all players are thinking the same way,” he said.
Also Read: 'Looked Confused, Bemused': Report Reveals How Lionel Messi Reacted To Salt Lake Stadium Chaos
The hosts have lost just one T20I in Dharamshala way back in 2015, but have a 2-1 head-to-head record here as they had defeated Sri Lanka twice in 2022. Their game against the Proteas in 2019 was abandoned.