- Tilak Varma: I did what everyone thought. He said discussions before this game with Gambhir and Kotak helped build confidence in his abilities. The three that matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, all smiling after dismissing Pat Cummins. The three that matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, all smiling after dismissing Pat Cummins, India vs Australia, World Cup, Chennai, October 8, 2023 4 or 5 but leaves the final round to Australia. Green has not played since suffering an abdominal injury in the last ODI against South Africa on September 30 and he will not be able to take part in the final Test. Australia have lost two of their last four Tests overwhelmingly, and the lack of partnerships – or more than one batter at a time – has hurt them the most. Travis Head batted for Australia after their follow-up match, South Africa v Australia, 2nd Test, Gqeberha, Day 4, October 21, 2026. Lyon was missing from the eleven for Australia’s second Test for the third time in eight Tests, but Ctain Cummins said his name would be “at the forefront” of discussions before decision-maker Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland turned away from stumps after keeping India at bay for 110 balls, Australia v India. 4th Test, Melbourne, Day 4, December 29, 2024 Gerald Coetzee, Corbin Bosch and Dane Paterson will be in discussion if South Africa want to field a fast bowler in place of Anrich Nortje in the Ce Town Test. Anrich Nortje literally bent his back to allow the batters to jump in the first hour, South Africa v Australia, 1st Test, Day 2, Durban, October 10, 2026. With his body-dropping skills and two defiant tailenders at the crease, the fast bowler put everything on the line to give Australia an unforgettable win at Ce Town 2014. A concussion, a problematic neck and low scores – Steven Smith will want to change the situation at Newlands, which was the scene of the Sandpergate scandal. Steven Smith’s neck required medical treatment after narrowly surviving in the 27th match, South Africa v Australia, 2nd Test, Gqeberha, Day 4, 21st October 2026 Simon Harmer celebrates a wicket, South Africa v Australia, 2nd Test, Gqeberha, Day 4, 21st October 2026 Harry Brook walks off after scoring 202 from 116 balls England v Sri Lanka, Tri-Series, October 22, 2026 Janith Liyanage celebrates with her teammates after scoring six off the penultimate ball to win the game. Janith Liyanage celebrates with her teammates after scoring six off the penultimate ball to win the game, England v Sri Lanka, Tri-Series, October 22, 2026. Harry Brook went to Pindi in illustrious company – but the only statistic that mattered was his team’s defeat. Will Jacks congratulates Harry Brook on his double century, England v Sri Lanka, Tri-Series, October 22, 2026 Irfan Pathan believes Tilak Varma’s ability to handle pressure situations with ease makes him a candidate for future leadership. Tilak Varma said he was “really proud” after remaining unbeaten and leading India through a tough fightback of 181 in the second T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch.
- He cited discussions with Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak that gave him the conviction to quit the game.
- India were 70 for 5 in the 11th over, needing 111 runs off 55 balls, with spinners Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell finding help on the surface used.
Tilak Varma: I did what everyone thought. He said discussions before this game with Gambhir and Kotak helped build confidence in his abilities. The three that matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, all smiling after dismissing Pat Cummins. The three that matter: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah, all smiling after dismissing Pat Cummins, India vs Australia, World Cup, Chennai, October 8, 2023 4 or 5 but leaves the final round to Australia. Green has not played since suffering an abdominal injury in the last ODI against South Africa on September 30 and he will not be able to take part in the final Test. Australia have lost two of their last four Tests overwhelmingly, and the lack of partnerships – or more than one batter at a time – has hurt them the most. Travis Head batted for Australia after their follow-up match, South Africa v Australia, 2nd Test, Gqeberha, Day 4, October 21, 2026. Lyon was missing from the eleven for Australia’s second Test for the third time in eight Tests, but Ctain Cummins said his name would be “at the forefront” of discussions before decision-maker Nathan Lyon and Scott Boland turned away from stumps after keeping India at bay for 110 balls, Australia v India. 4th Test, Melbourne, Day 4, December 29, 2024 Gerald Coetzee, Corbin Bosch and Dane Paterson will be in discussion if South Africa want to field a fast bowler in place of Anrich Nortje in the Ce Town Test. Anrich Nortje literally bent his back to allow the batters to jump in the first hour, South Africa v Australia, 1st Test, Day 2, Durban, October 10, 2026. With his body-dropping skills and two defiant tailenders at the crease, the fast bowler put everything on the line to give Australia an unforgettable win at Ce Town 2014. A concussion, a problematic neck and low scores – Steven Smith will want to change the situation at Newlands, which was the scene of the Sandpergate scandal. Steven Smith’s neck required medical treatment after narrowly surviving in the 27th match, South Africa v Australia, 2nd Test, Gqeberha, Day 4, 21st October 2026 Simon Harmer celebrates a wicket, South Africa v Australia, 2nd Test, Gqeberha, Day 4, 21st October 2026 Harry Brook walks off after scoring 202 from 116 balls England v Sri Lanka, Tri-Series, October 22, 2026 Janith Liyanage celebrates with her teammates after scoring six off the penultimate ball to win the game. Janith Liyanage celebrates with her teammates after scoring six off the penultimate ball to win the game, England v Sri Lanka, Tri-Series, October 22, 2026. Harry Brook went to Pindi in illustrious company – but the only statistic that mattered was his team’s defeat. Will Jacks congratulates Harry Brook on his double century, England v Sri Lanka, Tri-Series, October 22, 2026 Irfan Pathan believes Tilak Varma’s ability to handle pressure situations with ease makes him a candidate for future leadership. Tilak Varma said he was “really proud” after remaining unbeaten and leading India through a tough fightback of 181 in the second T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch.
He cited discussions with Indian head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak that gave him the conviction to quit the game. India were 70 for 5 in the 11th over, needing 111 runs off 55 balls, with spinners Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell finding help on the surface used. However, Tilak was determined to hold on throughout the innings.
He has now remained unbeaten in 26 T20 chases and his team has won each of those matches. “The only thing I thought about at that time was to play till the end,” Tilak said after winning the player of the match award for his unbeaten 51 off 26 balls. “Just before today’s game, I spoke to coach Gautam Sir and Sitanshu Kotak Sir and they said one thing that we all believe in and the whole of India believes in.
If you stay until the end you will win, you will win the game for us. “It was going through my head and I wanted to immerse myself in the game as deeply as possible. In the end I did what everyone thought.
That’s why I’m really proud of myself.” “I told Naman that we would stay until the end and especially that we might be a little slower today compared to the last game,” said Tilak. “I told Naman that when the spinners were bowling, we would try hard to run between the wickets. So that’s what our plan was.
We pushed hard in the bowling and unfortunately Naman got out in the last over against Mitchell Santner. Otherwise I think we would have finished the game in 18th place. So yes, Naman also deserves credit for the way he fought.
Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy complete winning streak, New Zealand vs India, 2nd T20I, Christchurch, October 24, 2026 “But after that, the Hyderabadi boys were in the game today, Nitish Reddy and I, and we are really hpy to have finished the game.” With 46 needed in the last three overs, India prevailed to attack the New Zealand fast bowlers and eventually headed home with two balls to spare. Tilak said the runs they amassed through hard-fought runs against the spinners were equally important. “There was definitely such a plan [to target fast bowlers] but we thought we would set that intention.
If they play in our field, we will go for the big ones. Otherwise, we just wanted to push it in the GS and drive it hard. I think we had four to five twos against the spinners, those eight-ten runs were really crucial.
I think we played smart there and later we knew we could bat against the fast bowlers. “We needed that pace on this huge space, so we waited for it and finished in style.” India’s Shreyas Iyer praised Dhir’s overall contribution, especially his powerful batting and fielding. Dhir had already taken over and dismissed Glenn Phillips for 70 off 43 balls.
He had also played a crucial role in the previous game, hitting an unbeaten 42 off 15 balls to seal India’s most successful comeback in T20Is. “I think every single person in our team is a match winner and today we saw an example of that,” Iyer said. “Honestly, when we lost consecutive wickets [in the 11th over], we thought the match would get away from us but Tilak and Reddy showed immense character and also a great performance from Naman Dhir.
“We saw it in a few home games against the West Indies. He’s also a phenomenal bowler and if you cover both ends in terms of batting and bowling, I think he brings a lot of character. And when you see him running around the field, he is a complete player. “Iyer also praised Santner and Bracewell for keeping New Zealand in control during the middle overs when India struggled to find boundaries.
“We wanted to progress, but they played well, especially Bracewell and Santner, controlling the game in the middle. It wasn’t easy to hit the ball but if we could pick runs and find boundaries we could have easily gone home. Future Leader’s Story: 1559848+ NZ vs IND 2nd T20I Christchurch Tilak Varma Really proud of myself for holding India through | He said conversations with Gambhir and Kotak before this game helped boost confidence in his abilities. He said conversations with Gambhir and Kotak before this game helped boost confidence in his abilities.
