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During the tour of Ireland and England, Tilak Verma had to face a lot of criticism due to his slow batting. Tilak, who became the new vice-captain of Team India, was not able to play big shots as soon as he arrived, due to which the run rate was being restricted. On questions being raised on his strike rate before the T20 series against Zimbabwe starting on Thursday, Tilak said that due to the fall of early wickets, middle order batsmen like him did not get a chance to play freely. He also stressed that he is batting as per the conditions.

‘I will play as per the need of the team’

Apart from Tilak’s strike rate, questions were also raised about his attitude against slow bowlers. Especially he was seen struggling against the spinners. Tilak showed what he can do by scoring 53 runs in 25 balls in the last T20 against England in Southampton. Tilak told that batting at different numbers is not easy. He said, ‘In this format you have to bat in different orders and especially in such conditions it is not easy. Also, I always say that I will do whatever is necessary for the team. If I have to score runs while waiting for the team, I will play accordingly. If I have to hit, I hit and play’

Tilak further said, ‘If we look at the condition of the team at that time, from Ireland to England, four or five wickets always fell in the power play. So it was not wise to go there and hit and get out.

I can hit even with the first ball – Tilak

Tilak said, ‘I always have this in my mind that I can come to the crease and hit the first ball but at the same time I am playing for the country so there are a lot of responsibilities. When the title of vice captain is attached to your name, the team must have given it to me very thoughtfully. So I want to take the same responsibilities that the management gives me. I am playing accordingly.

What was the reason for the defeat in UK?

Explaining the reason for the defeat in Ireland-England, Tilak said that we had played a lot in Asia in the last two years. The circumstances there were different. He believes that the team could not adjust to the conditions there. Tilak said, ‘To be honest, Shreyas (Iyer) is leading a successful team right now. Obviously there will be responsibilities and expectations. The situation was different in Ireland. If you look at the last two years, we played more matches in Asia.