Thinking that his partner at the other end, Axar Patel , had hit a boundary, Tilak was seen casually walking in the middle of the pitch. However, the carefree approach cost him dearly as West Indies bowler Gudakesh Motie decided to dislodge the bails, leaving Tilak with nothing but regret as a third umpire review showed that a West Indies fielder’s effort on the field had prevented Axar from hitting a boundary. India batter Tilak Varma became the victim of his own casual approach during the third T20I against West Indies on Sunday.
As for the match, India opening batter Abhishek’s 30-ball 69 laid the foundation of India’s victory, helping the hosts secure a 2-1 lead in the 5-match series. The previous two games had been won by the team batting second, as the West Indies knocked off a target of 250 to level the series on Friday, pulling off the second-highest successful chase in T20Is. As a result, Tilak had to walk back to the pavilion for a score of 28 runs off 16 balls.
“It was wonderful to see the bowlers being confident,” India captain Shreyas Iyer said after the game. As both casually walked towards their ends, Axar made it home just in time but the bails were dislodged by Motie before Tilak could return. As the third umpire was asked for help to decide if a boundary should be given or not, the decision came in the bowling side’s favour. “The clarity was very much visible when I was interacting. They were ready to take up the challenge, and that’s what we want. But the Indians were on the money this time.
During the 17th over by Motie, Axar flicked the ball towards the deep mid-wicket boundary, where a diving save was needed to prevent the ball from hitting the boundary cushion. However, both Axar and Tilak believed that the player had touched the boundary rope while trying to save the ball, hence a four was guaranteed. But that wasn’t the case.
