India are 2-1 ahead in the series and a win on Wednesday will give them an unassailable lead, while the visitors will be eager to draw level. The West Indies demonstrated their batting firepower by chasing down India’s 249 in the second T20I, with skipper Shai Hope smashing a 45-ball 102. India need to hunt for wickets rather than containing a power-packed West Indies batting line-up, vice-captain Tilak Varma said on Tuesday, stressing the importance of bowling plan execution as the hosts look to seal the five-match T20 International series in the fourth game itself.
“The West Indies are a really good side, especially in T20 format. They play so much franchise cricket, so they know how to play this format. The power they have is unbelievable,” Tilak said at the pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
Tilak, who has scored 443 runs in 13 T20I innings at number three with the help of two centuries at an average of 55.37 and a strike rate of 169.73, said he was ready to adapt to the team’s requirements.
He said he was looking forward to the experience, with several Sunrisers Hyderabad players, including Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Nitish Kumar Reddy, also part of the Indian squad. With India’s top batters in good form, the middle order has had limited opportunities. The fourth T20I will also be a special occasion for Tilak, who is set to play in front of his home crowd.
The 23-year-old Tilak said the team had reviewed its defensive approach in that match, with head coach Gautam Gambhir encouraging the bowlers to be more aggressive and to attack for wickets instead of allowing the opposition to dictate terms.
But after that, as a team, Gautam (Gambhir) sir also mentioned that we can go for wickets and show that aggression,” he said. Tilak said the team would look to build on that performance, with a better execution of plans against an opposition capable of changing the course of a match within a few overs. “Initially, in the second game, we did not go for wickets. We were slightly defensive when they (West Indies) were scoring runs.
