India will be looking to bounce back when they face England in the third T20I of the five-match series at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on Tuesday, July 7. After the opening game was washed out without a ball being bowled in the second innings, England gained the upper hand by winning the second T20I, putting the visitors under pressure heading into the crucial contest.

Ahead of the third T20I, former India batter Hanuma Vihari came out strongly in support of vice-captain Tilak Varma, dismissing suggestions that the left-hander should be dropped from the playing XI. While Tilak’s strike rate has been questioned by some critics, Vihari believes the youngster has repeatedly delivered in pressure situations and continues to be an important player for the Indian team.

Hanuma Vihari backs Tilak Varma despite criticism

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Vihari said he found the calls to drop Tilak surprising, stressing that the team management has shown complete faith in the youngster by appointing him vice-captain. He also responded to suggestions that Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Sanju Samson should be accommodated in the playing XI at Tilak’s expense, insisting that such arguments were unfair.

Vihari pointed to Tilak’s ability to perform under pressure, recalling his crucial half-century against Ireland when several other Indian batters struggled. He also highlighted the left-hander’s match-winning contribution in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan as another example of his temperament in big games.

“I feel like laughing when many people tell to drop him. They say Suryavanshi can come down and Sanju can play if Tilak is dropped. He is the vice-captain of the team. The management has trusted him. He does that finishing role. He scored a fifty against Ireland as well under pressure. He has always stood up in crisis situations. If you remember the Asia Cup final, he won India the game. So saying Tilak should be out does not make sense. He got those runs for us in the death overs which matters a lot. You need such players and Tilak has been it consistently. He played an important knock once again and took us to a good score,” Vihari said.

Also READ: Prithvi Shaw’s fiancée Akriti Agarwal shares cryptic post amid breakup rumours

Vihari identifies India’s batting concern

Apart from defending Tilak, Vihari also assessed India’s batting performance in the second T20I. He felt the batters became overly focused on clearing the boundary instead of rotating the strike, which allowed England to regain control during the latter stages of the innings. According to the former India batter, smarter shot selection and better game awareness will be crucial if India are to level the series in Nottingham.

“The batters have struggled here and are not able to take singles or doubles more in trying to hit the big shots. It is not more about stroke play but about when to play shots, a little smarter shot selection becomes important,” Vihari explained.

India appeared well placed at 130/3 after 13 overs in the second T20I but lost wickets at regular intervals during the death overs and eventually fell short of the 200-run mark. With England carrying the momentum into the third game, the visitors will be aiming to produce a stronger all-round performance and draw level in the series.

Also READ: Matthew Short and Brody Couch star as San Francisco Unicorns crush MI New York to go top