Former India captain Krishnamachari Srikkanth criticized Tilak Varma after India’s one-run defeat to Ireland in the second T20I in Belfast on June 28.Chasing 155 to level the two-match series, India were reduced to 19/3 in the third over when Tilak Varma went out to bat. The 23-year-old tried to steady the innings but managed only a slow pace 55 off 46 balls. The rest of the batting line-up also struggled as India fell one run short, suffering a 0-2 series defeat.Criticizing Tilak and the other batsmen on his YouTube channel, Srikkanth said: “Tilak Varma tried to take it to the end and become the hero. He thought to win in the end and celebrate by lifting his jersey. These goals should be removed with an over to spare and not go to the end.“You cannot play the way India did in the middle phase, especially Tilak Varma, Dube and Axar. All their strike rates were poor. You have to stabilize a bit and then start attacking in the middle phase. Otherwise, you will be finished if you fail in the middle phase. India lost the game in the middle phase.Tilak also struggled in the first T20I, scoring 21 off 19 balls as India lost by 34 runs.Srikkanth also criticized India’s approach during the middle of the second T20I. The visitors went seven overs without hitting a single boundary, with Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube and Axar Patel unable to score freely.“There was a stage when there were 45 balls with no boundaries in the middle stage. How can you win a T20 match like that? It’s a shame that a medical Ireland bowling ended this Indian batting line. Even in the IPL, look how many of these top Indian batsmen scored in Lucknow? Because in Lucknow, the Indian bowling helped a little. he scored in Lucknow, India needed to attack in the middle and not take it to the end Srikkanth said.Before this series, India had won all eight of their previous T20Is against Ireland. The 0-2 defeat marked India’s first series loss to Ireland in the format.
