Tilak Verma scored a half-century in the second T20 against Ireland but India had to face a close defeat. Former captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth criticized Tilak.
India suffered a heavy defeat during their tour to Ireland. Here, India suffered a historic 0-2 defeat in the two-match T20 series. The loss in the second match was very shocking. Team India missed out on victory by just one run. Ireland restricted India to 153/9 after scoring 154/8. After the fall of four wickets for 35 runs, Tilak Verma took charge but could not cross the threshold of victory. He scored 55 runs off 46 balls with the help of three fours and one six. His strikeout rate was 119.56. He made 39 runs for the fifth wicket with Axar Patel (14 off 18 balls) and 35 runs for the sixth wicket with Shivam Dubey (20 off 16 balls). 23-year-old Tilak was out in 18th over. Former Indian captain and former chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth slammed Tilak and made a sensational statement.
“Tilak Verma played only for himself”
Srikanth says that because Tilak became a hero, the team had to face defeat. He said India lost the match in the middle phase because the players did not attack. Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel: “You cannot play the way they played in the middle phase of the Indian innings, especially Tilak Verma, Shivam Dubey and Akshar Patel. They all had poor hitting speed. You have to be a little steady and then start attacking in the middle phase. Otherwise, if you fail in the middle phase, you’re screwed. India lost the game in this phase. Tilak Verma was just playing for himself, one or two runs. Akshar Patel did the same.
“Tilak Verma was waiting for such a holiday”
Srikanth also raised questions about Tilak’s approach during the chase. He said the young batsman was more focused on seeing the match through rather than ending it quickly. Srikanth feels that India should have won the match earlier instead of taking the match to the last ball. He said, “Tilak Verma was trying to see the match to the end and become a hero. His goal was to win at the end, take off his jersey and celebrate. Instead of chasing such a target at the end, one needs to achieve it with one left over. Let us tell you that in the last overs, Harshit Rana tried his best, scoring 21 runs from 10 balls, but was run out on the fifth ball of the last over.