[cricknation_live_score match=”‘There must be a reason for it’ – Dinesh Karthik on Tilak Varma’s promotion in India’s record chase vs New Zealand”]
- ‘There has to be a reason for it’ – Dinesh Karthik on Tilak Varma’s promotion in India’s record chase against New Zealand Dinesh Karthik analyzes India’s successful 226-run chase and questions the decision to promote Tilak Varma ahead of Ishan Kishan in the first T20I against New Zealand.
- Tilak Verma (Photo by Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto via ) India recorded their most successful run chase in international T20 cricket on October 22, 2026, when they chased down a target of 226 runs in 19.4 overs with four wickets remaining in the opening T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch.
- The chase featured aggressive batting from the first pair and lower order contributions that carried the team to victory.
‘There has to be a reason for it’ – Dinesh Karthik on Tilak Varma’s promotion in India’s record chase against New Zealand Dinesh Karthik analyzes India’s successful 226-run chase and questions the decision to promote Tilak Varma ahead of Ishan Kishan in the first T20I against New Zealand.
Tilak Verma (Photo by Mark Cosgrove/News Images/NurPhoto via ) India recorded their most successful run chase in international T20 cricket on October 22, 2026, when they chased down a target of 226 runs in 19.4 overs with four wickets remaining in the opening T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch. The chase featured aggressive batting from the first pair and lower order contributions that carried the team to victory. Dinesh Karthik, who analyzed the game, highlighted the clinical nature of India’s chase while raising questions about the team’s batting order decisions.
Karthik noted that the openers set the tone through aggressive powerplay and Shreyas Iyer played a key role in the middle overs. However, Karthik couldn’t understand why Tilak Varma was promoted to No. 1. 3 ahead of the in-form Ishan Kishan, who is the highest-ranked batsman in the format.
The promotion bore no fruit as Tilak was dismissed for six runs off just 11 balls. Kishan, who batted at No. 5, could only score one point from three balls.
The former India wicketkeeper felt that the team management might want to give Tilak some time in the middle. He also mentioned that Kishan was not on the field for a while in the first innings and that may be why he was not allowed to come out to bat when the first wicket fell. “I thought it was a very clinical chase, the first few games set the tone.
Both were excited about the power play. In the middle it was Shreyas Iyer. One might wonder why they sent Tilak Varma before Ishan Kishan. There must be a reason for this, probably giving him the opportunity to bat or the fact that Ishan Kishan was not in the field and couldn’t bat at number 3.
Anyway, we have to wait for that,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz. How did Naman Dhir accelerate India’s persecution? Karthik highlighted how Naman Dhir effectively controlled the pace of the innings at the end of the chase.
The young batsman’s ability to score quickly early on proved crucial in maintaining the required run rate. “What you saw after that was a performance from Naman Dhir on how to maintain the pace of an innings. He did not take too much time.
He set good boundaries right from the start,” said Karthik. What role did pitch depth play in the win? Karthik highlighted the importance of India’s batting depth, particularly the presence of Nitish Kumar Reddy at number eight.
The availability of a cable hitter in the lower order gave reassurance that the chase was within reach, unlike scenarios where a bowler would be forced to bat in the closing stages. “The batting depth at No. 8, when you have a batsman, someone like Nitish Kumar Reddy, coming into that situation, you feel like the game is pretty much done and dusted. If you didn’t have that, if an Arshdeep Singh came in, you would feel a little different and the pressure would be on the batsman in the crease to make sure he blocks the shot and there would be a lot of change in the dynamic.
So, if you put everything into context, I think it was a good chase,” he added. Also Read: ‘That little phase’ – Dinesh Karthik praises Gautam Gambhir for his wise decision during record run in 1st T20I against New Zealand. Karthik gave full marks to Naman Dhir for his match-winning score of 42* in 15 balls. The former cricketer and commentator praised Dhir’s ability to hit big from the first ball.
“For today, I think it’s a 10 out of 10.” The shots he could play, the way he punched through coverage, the late build-up he played towards the end. What he does is that even if a batsman is stopped, he can get going very quickly and that is very important at the end of the innings,” Karthik added.
