"Don't tinker with the batting order"

Abhishek Nayar has questioned Team India’s decision to send Tilak Varma ahead of Sanju Samson in the first T20I against Ireland.

Paul Stirling and Co. set the Men in Blue a 140-run target after being asked to bat first in Malahide, Dublin, on Friday, August 18. The visitors scraped through to a two-wicket win via the DLS method despite losing Yashasvi Jaiswal and Varma’s wickets off successive deliveries just two balls before the match was called off due to rain.

During a discussion on JioCinema, Nayar was asked about his thoughts on Varma being sent ahead of Samson at No. 3 probably to maintain a left-right combination, to which he replied:

“I am surprised with a lot of the decisions that are made. You have seen Tilak Varma do well at No. 4 and Sanju Samson is someone who has batted at No. 3. It shouldn’t matter whether he is right-handed or left-handed.”

The former Indian all-rounder added:

“You have got five left-handers in the team. You have a left-arm spinner in the opposition. Paul Stirling bowls a bit of off-spin and it doesn’t matter on this pitch because the ball isn’t turning. Let him bat at four. He is doing well. Don’t tinker with the batting order. Let him continue batting at four.”

Varma gave an excellent account of himself while primarily batting at No. 4 in the recent T20I series against the West Indies. The Hyderabad youngster amassed 173 runs in five innings at an excellent average of 57.67 and an equally impressive strike rate of 140.65.

“Tilak Varma would be disappointed for sure but he couldn’t have done much” – Abhishek Nayar on his dismissal

Tilak Varma was strangled down the leg side.

Abhishek Nayar was also asked about Tilak Varma’s dismissal, to which he replied:

“They tell you no matter how good a cricketer you are, you want the rub of the green. Here Tilak Varma would be disappointed for sure but he couldn’t have done much. As we say, this was an unlucky dismissal.”

The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that the southpaw can only look to play the shot better rather than refraining from playing it. He stated:

“You think that it will go for a four if you hit it. If you are sitting in as a coach, I am thinking that this is a four. You get out to that and you go back and think what you could have done differently – nothing. He will play the same shot, he will try to get a little more bat to it so that it goes for a four.”

Varma tried to tuck a Craig Young delivery onto the leg side but only managed to get a faint edge to Lorcan Tucker behind the stumps. This was the first time he was dismissed early in his six hits in international cricket.

Poll : Did India make the wrong call in sending Tilak Varma ahead of Sanju Samson?

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