Suryakumar backs Tilak, stresses clarity over concern at No. 3

Suryakumar Yadav has thrown his weight behind Tilak Varma, outlining the clarity around the No. 3's role despite a modest run in this World Cup. Scores of 25, 25, 25 and 31 have not quite matched the expectations attached to both that position and Tilak's pedigree. His overall strike rate, too, has lacked bite - apart from the opening game against the USA, when he struck at over 150, he has operated in the 104-115 range. More crucially, a few of his dismissals have come just when the innings demanded acceleration.

But the India skipper did not sound too worried about the absence of big scores and forceful knocks from his No. 3. "Not really," Suryakumar said on the eve of the South Africa clash, stating that Tilak's role in the side is not just to go after the bowlers full throttle. "I mean, I have told him, the team management has told him that he has to bat that way. If one wicket is down, then he can definitely go and have his own game in the powerplay.

"But as soon as two wickets are down, then he has to take a little bit of a backseat, build a partnership again, get to the 10th over and then we have enough firepower to continue and take on the bowling. But yeah, definitely I am sure he must not be happy with how he is batting right now. And he has practised a lot as well in the last two or three practice sessions. But I don't have any concerns regarding him. He has been delivering for India at No. 3 really well and I am very confident that he will do it better."

The India skipper also dismissed the suggestion of replacing Tilak with Sanju Samson. "You mean I should make him play for Tilak...?" he smiled. "It's going well in the Powerplay. We're making 40-50 runs. That's normal cricket. Now we've played so well in bilaterals. It happens - we have expectations, we also have expectations from ourselves.

"Expectations to make 220, 240, 250. But the wickets are a little different here. The four wickets we have played on so far were a little different and challenging. Off-spinners were not bowling earlier but are now. So we have started preparation for that and hopefully we will tackle it as we start our Super 8 journey."

Suryakumar also joined a chorus in the defence of the No. 1 T20I batter Abhishek Sharma, who has yet to score a run in the World Cup. "About Abhishek's form, I worry for the people who are worried about Abhishek's form. Why are they so worried about Abhishek's form? But I think about those teams who are going to play against him - that he has not yet scored a run. You know the rest of the answers.

"When he scores a run, you have seen what happens. It happens, it's a team sport, it keeps going on. Now the team has a requirement that the boy should play with his identity. So he is trying to play. If it happens, then it's fine; if it doesn't, then we are there to cover. Last year he covered for us, now we will cover for him."

The skipper revealed the side's approach to batting, stating that while the target is to post a big total, the philosophy is not to go for broke every ball. "We don't have to be a team that keeps hitting and hitting," he said.

"We are trying to explode from the start. Everyone knows the template. Sometimes we can get into a situation where we lose two wickets quickly, or three wickets quickly. So we have to be a little smart as a team to bat well between overs 7 to 15. Once the base is strong, we can score around 60 or 70 runs in the last five overs. So far, those situations have come.

"Now whenever we get a good start, then we bat with those same templates. But sometimes such tricky situations come in T20 cricket where you're two down, three down. So in the middle overs, you have to respect the game and keep your main game to the side. The team has to play according to the requirements."

He also repeated the oft-stated point about flexibility in the batting order. "Except the openers, from No. 3 to 7 or 3 to 8, everyone has to be very flexible and that has been the message in the group. If there is no wicket down till eight or nine overs, there might be a point where you might see Shivam Dube walking in or even a Hardik Pandya walking in, if there is a proper match-up. So everyone has to be very flexible, even I am flexible. I have said the same thing to everyone. So if we get into that situation, we will definitely take that call."