Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav's decision to promote young Tilak Varma to the number three position during the fourth and final T20I against South Africa gave remarkable results.
The 22-year-old, who had previously batted at number four in the series, approached Suryakumar in Gqeberha requesting a promotion in the batting order. Yadav decided without any hesitation to relinquish his position at number three.
"It was actually running in my mind that there has been a time when one man has batted consistently at No. 3 and done wonders for India, so this was a perfect situation, perfect opportunity for a young guy and definitely someone like him, showing a lot of promise... and we both actually spoke to each other and said, 'I think it's the perfect time for someone like you to bat at number three, take that responsibility, not only now, but going forward as well," Suryakumar said as quoted by Cricbuzz.
He just walked the talk: Suryakumar Yadav
Varma responded to the responsibility with a consecutive T20I century, becoming only the fifth player in history to achieve this feat. His strike rates of 191.07 and 255.32 in these innings guided the team to a 3-1 series victory over the Proteas.
"And he just walked the talk. I mean, the way he batted at Supersport Park and also here today, it was incredible and I hope he continues to do the same things, the same way, not only in T20 cricket but for all formats for India," the Indian skipper added.
After facing setbacks including two hand injuries that forced him out of assignments in Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, Varma's hard work has finally paid off. His performance at the Wanderers, where he helped the Men in Blue post their second-highest T20I total of 283/1.
Suryakumar mentioned the selection challenges ahead with the potential return of players like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill.
"I'm sure when they [Jaiswal, Gill] come, we'll sit and talk about it, it will be difficult but it's a good headache to have going forward if you have 20-25 people and you have to make a team of 10-15, so it's quite a challenge and it's a good thing for every team, it feels good to see this, so when those players come, we'll see, we'll talk to them, there are a lot of people, team management, selectors, BCCI, to get rid of that headache, we'll see, there's no problem," Yadav concluded.
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