IND vs WI: Tilak Varma Smashes Maiden Fifty for India, Dances in Celebration; Gets Standing Ovation from Dugout | WATCH – News18

Indian youngster Tilak Varma showed his class as he scored his maiden half-century in T20is against West Indies. Tilak Varma became the second youngest Indian to score a T20i 50, with the youngest being the Indian skipper himself, Rohit Sharma.

The Men in Blue were struggling in the first innings as West Indian pacer Alzarri Joseph managed to pick the first wicket of Shubman Gill. Suryakumar Yadav who came in at No 3, departed early as he was caught in a mix-up which led to his run out. Ishan Kishan who managed to get a start was bowled by Kyle Mayers. Sanju Samson also departed early after a ripper from left-arm spinner Akeal Hossan which Samson attempted to go after only to end up being stumped.

Amidst the regular loss of wickets, Tilak Varma shone through as he displayed maturity and in-game awareness which is above his age. His experience in the IPL with the Mumbai Indians must have helped him gain the courage needed to hold his own against various kinds of opposition. He has had decent seasons in the IPL where he scored 397 and 343 runs in his first two seasons. All this led to him being able to stand tall and deliver against West Indies when the Indian top-order failed to make their starts count so the team could set a big total.

Along with Tilak Varma, skipper Hardik Pandya also chipped in as he scored 24 runs off 18 deliveries but was dismissed prematurely by Alzarri Joseph. India went on to set a total of 152 in their quota of 20 overs thanks to the contributions from Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh and Ravi Bishnoi who all scored a few boundaries to help India tip the scorecard over 150.

India will be under pressure as the series hangs in the balance. India is currently 1-0 down in the five-match series after West Indies secured the first win thanks to Jason Holder’s heroics with the ball. India will also use the series to experiment with their younger players so that they can come to a conclusion regarding their team combinations and selections to be made for the future as well.