India players celebrate with the trophy after winning the T20 series against South Africa. AFP
Praising Tilak Varma’s recent feat of scoring consecutive T20I centuries, India skipper Suryakumar Yadav said this is the correct time for a youngster like him to bat at number three, citing Virat Kohli as an example.
At the Wanderers, Varma smashed an incredible 120 not out, becoming just the fifth player to score back-to-back T20I hundreds.
Along with Sanju Samson making 109 not out, his third T20I ton in the last five games, Varma ensured India made a mammoth 283/1, which set their base for a 135-run win and a 3-1 series victory.
‘It was actually running in my mind that there has been a time when one man has batted consistently at number three and done wonders for India. So this was a perfect situation, perfect opportunity for a young guy and definitely someone like him, showing a lot of promise.’
‘We both actually spoke to each other and said, ‘I think it’s the perfect time for someone like you to bat at number three, take that responsibility, not only now, but going forward as well’, and he just walked the talk. I mean, the way he batted at Supersport Park and also here, it was incredible and I hope he continues to do the same things, same way, not only in T20 cricket, but for all formats for India,’ said Suryakumar at the conclusion of the series.
The gigantic knocks of Samson and Varma capped off an incredible year for India in T20I, where they won 24 out of 26 games, and added a T20 World Cup trophy in June. But after winning the silverware, India have shown the power-hitting and ultra-aggressive giant it can be for the foreseeable future in the shortest format.
‘Even before the World Cup, we played a few T20 tournaments and we spoke about what brand and what type of cricket we want to play going forward in T20s. So we play IPL, we play for different franchises, but when we come together, I think we wanted to do the same thing,’ the Indian captain said.
‘Like, what we do for our franchise and just be on the same page, play a different brand of cricket, what we had been playing before and post T20 World Cup, we just followed the same things what we did there and if it’s going really well, why to change?’
India’s first T20I assignment in 2025 will see them host England for five games in January. With the likelihood of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill coming into the team once the Border-Gavaskar Trophy is over, Suryakumar signed off by saying the team think-tank will see how the combinations would be closer to the series.
‘I haven’t thought about it so far, I like to live in the moment. I will try to enjoy what happened here because it’s a special win, a special series win. I’m sure when they (Jaiswal, Gill) come, we’ll sit and talk about it.’
‘It will be difficult but it’s a good headache to have going forward if you have 20-25 people and you have to make a team of 10-15, so it’s quite a challenge and it’s a good thing for every team, it feels good to see this.’
‘So when those players come, we’ll see, we’ll talk to them, there are a lot of people – team management, selectors, BCCI, to get rid of that headache. But we’ll see, there’s no problem,’ he concluded.
Meanwhile, Tilak was delighted after rare feat.
‘Actually I wanted to tell one funny thing, last year when I played here I got out first ball. This innings was very crucial for the team and the series,’ Tilak said in the post-match presentation.
‘Just want to hold my shape and followed my basics as to what I did in the last game, I was calm. It’s an unbelievable feeling.
‘I couldn’t express it right now, I never imagined, that too two 100s in South Africa in challenging conditions. Thanks to our captain Surya for this. As I said last match.
