Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth offered a blunt critique regarding Tilak Varma’s position in the squad, asserting that Sanju Samson would serve as a superior alternative.
India’s Recent T20I Slump Under New Leadership
Following a T20 World Cup victory just a couple of months ago, the Indian team’s recent form in T20Is has triggered intense scrutiny for both the players and the revamped leadership setup. Captain Shreyas Iyer and vice-captain Tilak Varma have yet to spark a turnaround. India remains winless on their tour of the UK, having lost the series to Ireland and falling 0-2 behind against England, who have already clinched the series with games to spare.
This dramatic decline follows major changes to the squad structure: Suryakumar Yadav was replaced as skipper and subsequently omitted from the squad altogether, while Axar Patel was stripped of the vice-captaincy. These tactical shifts, paired with underwhelming results, have amplified the pressure on the newly crowned world champions.
Tilak Varma’s Form and Srikkanth’s Critique
The repetitive batting collapses on the UK tour have magnified the focus on vice-captain Tilak Varma, whose left-handed batting has failed to shift the momentum. Srikkanth fiercely questioned Varma’s presence in the lineup on his YouTube channel, advocating for Sanju Samson instead.
“He’s already the vice captain and it looks like he’ll soon become the captain also. Tilak Varma might have himself said he doesn’t want to go out, seeing the pace and bounce. Tilak Varma is clueless. I rather play Sanju Samson himself instead of Tilak Varma,” Srikkanth said.
Since assuming the vice-captaincy, Varma’s scores read 19, 55, 13, 24 not out, and 3, falling short of a match-winning impact. His solitary significant performance was a resilient 55 against Ireland during a tight one-run loss. His subsequent outings in England have yielded just 13, 24 not out, and 3, failing to revive a faltering Indian batting order.
Accusations of Shielding the Vice-Captain
Srikkanth further targeted the team management, stating that their strategic deployment of Varma sends contradictory messages. He emphasized that if the batsman is trusted with the vice-captaincy, he must face the opposition’s fast bowlers head-on.
“You make Tilak Varma your main batter and vice-captain. Yet, why are you shielding him against fast bowling? They are sending Axar Patel ahead of him. It’s clear they are trying to shield Tilak Varma because they know he’s vulnerable against short-pitched bowling. I’ve been consistently saying he should be dropped. But they don’t drop him,” he added.
