Former Indian cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin hailed Tilak Varma following a calm and composed knock in a tense run chase against New Zealand in the second T20I, while also expressing hope that he gets to play Test cricket for India as well. Tilak Varma's love affair with run chases and death overs batting continued as he and Nitish Kumar Reddy pulled Team India out of troubled waters, stitching a 69-run stand to chase down 181 runs with a ball to spare at Christchurch. Once again while batting in the middle-order, Tilak brought his game awareness and ball striking, calculated acceleration while chasing. Speaking to ANI after the match, Azharuddin, one of the finest cricketers to emerge out of Hyderabad, said, "Today, I am very happy with the way Tilak Varma has played. He is a very good player, and I sincerely hope and pray that he gets the opportunity to play Test cricket. For me, Test cricket is the most important format, and I hope he goes on to represent India in Tests a...
After Gujarat Titans' (GT) bowed out of IPL 2025 with a 20-run defeat to Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Eliminator, former India batter Robin Uthappa said the Shubman Gill-led side cannot expect to win the championship if they suffer catching lapses and suffer due to flaws in strategy. In New Chandigarh on Friday evening, GT dropped three important catches – two of which were of Rohit Sharma, who went on to make a dashing 50-ball 81. Suryakumar Yadav was also given a reprieve in the 12th over, as MI made 228/5. GT also got their middle overs enforcer Prasidh Krishna to bowl with the new ball, a tactic which backfired as Rohit and Jonny Bairstow came out all guns blazing in the powerplay. "GT's strategy was more reactive than proactive. Using Prasidh in the powerplay – despite his success in middle overs – was a misstep.”
“His first over was expensive, and they failed to course-correct. The 26-run and 22-run overs proved costly. On top of that, their fielding let them down. You can't drop that many catches and expect to win a championship," said Uthappa on JioHotstar.
Uthappa, who previously won IPL with Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings, reflected on how Rohit made a calculated shift in his batting approach after being given two reprieves.
"After the early drop, Rohit flirted with danger briefly but quickly recognised the need to take control. He shifted gears, played responsibly, found the gaps, and built key partnerships. His composure stood out. When players like Rohit, Dhoni, or Kohli are at the crease, the pressure is on everyone else. Sai Sudharsan is starting to reach that level too."
With MI set to meet Punjab Kings in Qualifier 2 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, Uthappa stated he expects a fierce battle between the two teams. The winner of Qualifier 2 will meet Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the title clash in Ahmedabad on June 3.
"Punjab are hurting and will come out firing. Mumbai, riding high on momentum, will bring intensity as well. It's set to be a blockbuster, one for the ages," he concluded.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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