Tilak Varma credits mental preparation for thriving in India’s middle order

Tilak Varma says preparation is behind his middle-order progress

Tilak Varma says a combination of mental preparation and sustained practice has helped him grow into a more dependable middle-order batter for India, as he adjusts to the responsibility of finishing innings.

Speaking before the third T20I against West Indies, the left-hander reflected on his unbeaten 44 in the previous match in Ranchi. He said his recent form had been encouraging, adding: “God has been really kind to me. And right now, my form is also going really good.”

Adapting to a changing role

Varma acknowledged that moving away from his preferred top-order position has required both technical and mental adjustments. With India’s batting positions after the openers subject to rotation, he has been working on how to manage pressure and close out games from further down the order.

“Batting up the order was my strength before, but now I got used to it since the World Cup. During the World Cup, I was batting at five and six. So from there, I was practising how I could finish the game from there.”

He said he has put particular effort into training for those situations and credited the work, alongside good fortune, for the way things have gone. Varma also noted that his finishing skills were not needed in the previous match in Lucknow, but said he was pleased to contribute when the opportunity came in Ranchi.

His unbeaten 44 in the second T20I was cited as one of his recent middle-order contributions. The report also noted an unbeaten 51 during India’s gold-medal-winning Asian Games campaign in Japan.