'Only One Playing With Absolute Freedom…,' Ex-India Player Lauds Tilak Varma After Sparkling Debut In WI
Tilak Varma scored 39 off 22 balls against WI in the first T20I (Image - Twitter)
India lost to the West Indies by four runs in Tarouba on Thursday (August 3), marking a disappointing start to the five-match series in the Caribbean. Despite failing to chase an inferior 150, the Men in Blue had some satisfying outcomes to cherish from the game.
Above all, Tilak Varma impressed the most, as the 20-year-old began his international career with a brilliant 22-ball 39-run knock, laced with two fours and three sixes.
Aakash Chopra highlights Tilak Varma's fearless batting approach
Former India cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra heaped praise on Tilak for putting on a fantastic performance in Tarouba. In an innings where everyone had trouble getting going, Chopra highlighted Tilak's strike rate (177.27) and noted that he was the only one playing with "absolute freedom."
"Tilak Varma looked outstanding. If you check the scorecard, all Indian batters were going at a run-a-ball. There was just one batsman who was playing with absolute freedom," said Aakash Chopra on his YouTube Channel.
Additionally, Chopra praised the fact that Mumbai Indians continue to produce extraordinary talent, with Tilak being the newest addition to the list. The 45-year-old also emphasized how Tilak blasted a stunning six to start his international career, emulating his fellow IPL teammates Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan in doing so.
"What do these Mumbai Indians boys do? Whenever they play their debut game, they open their account with a six. Suryakumar Yadav did that, Ishan Kishan (on ODI debut) did that and Tilak Varma has done the same thing," Chopra added.
Even though Sanju Samson and Hardik Pandya were still in the middle and India had six wickets in hand, they failed to score 37 runs off their last 30 balls. The Men in Blue eventually finished with 145/9, as Mukesh Kumar failed to score the required six runs off the final delivery.
India will next play West Indies at Providence Stadium in Guyana for the second T20I on Sunday (August 6).
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