"You bat like this when you don't play for your reputation" - Gautam Gambhir lauds Tilak Varma's cameo in 2nd IND vs SA T20I

Gautam Gambhir has lauded Tilak Varma for batting aggressively despite India losing early wickets in the second T20I against South Africa.

Varma smashed a 20-ball 29 as India posted 180/7 in 19.3 overs in a rain-truncated game in Gqeberha on Tuesday, December 12. However, Aiden Markram and company chased down the revised 15-overs target of 152 with five wickets and seven deliveries to spare to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

During a discussion on Star Sports, Gambhir was asked about Varma taking the attack to the Proteas bowlers despite the loss of two early wickets, to which he responded:

"You bat like this when you don't play for your reputation or play without any baggage. How many teams would have reached 180 despite losing both their openers before either had scored a run? Your Nos. 3, 4 and 5 batted exceptionally and in an attacking mode."

The former India opener added that the Men in Blue need fearless players like Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Rinku Singh in the squad. He elaborated:

"You can only do that when you bat fearlessly. You will then just watch the ball and react. So a good squad is one where you have experience and along with that the fearlessness of youth. If you persist with players like Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and Rinku Singh, you will get to see a template like this."

Varma walked out to bat when India lost Yashasvi Jaiswal's wicket off the third delivery before they had scored a run. He added 49 runs in just 3.5 overs for the third wicket with Suryakumar Yadav after Shubman Gill had also been dismissed for a duck.

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"The mentality was absolutely clear that he would play big shots if the ball was in his zone" - Piyush Chawla on Tilak Varma

Tilak Varma scooped a Lizaad Williams delivery over the keeper for a boundary. [P/C: AP]

Piyush Chawla was particularly appreciative of Tilak Varma's audacious shot selection. He explained:

"You generally don't see a batter playing a scoop over the keeper when two wickets had been lost and that too against a bowler who was bowling well consistently. So the mentality was absolutely clear that he would play big shots if the ball was in his zone and that's what you want to see."

The leg-spinner praised Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Rinku Singh for their aggressive intent. He said:

"If you have to win matches in T20 cricket, you have to put big runs on the board and you need intent for that, which was shown here, whether you talk about Tilak Varma, all of us are seeing Surya for a long time, and even Rinku."

Suryakumar and Rinku strung together a 70-run fourth-wicket partnership after Varma's dismissal. While the Indian skipper scored a 36-ball 56, the left-handed middle-order batter smashed an unbeaten 68 off 39 deliveries.