IND vs ENG: Tilak Varma shatters world record after unbeaten 72 in the second T20I

Team India has been under transition by accommodating young players in the T20I team and Tilak Varma has emerged as one of the brightest talents in the new era, showcasing remarkable performance under pressure and maintaining consistency.   

Team India batter Tilak Varma scripted a historic feat following his unbeaten 72-run knock in the second T20I of the five-match series against England at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday, January 25. 

Chasing a 166-run target set by England, India were left in a precious situation with 78/5 in 9.1 overs, However, Tilak Varma alongside Washington Sundar, who scored 26 off 13 balls, formed a crucial 38-run partnership for the sixth wicket in order to pull the team out of the shambolic situation. After Sundar’s dismissal at 116/6, Tilak Varma shouldered the responsibility to carry on India’s innings and hit a winning four on the second ball of the final over to take the team past the finishing line. 

With an incredible unbeaten innings of 72 off 55 balls under pressure, Tilak Varma shattered the world record for the most consecutive runs scored without being dismissed in the history of T20 cricket at international level. Following his dismissal for 20 runs in the second T20I against South Africa in November last year, the left-handed batter has remained unbeaten in four consecutive innings. The 22-year-old scores read 107, 120, 19 and 72 totalling to 317 runs without being dismissed in the last four innings. 

Tilak Varma has surpassed New Zealand batter Mark Chapman’s record of 271 runs in four consecutive unbeaten innings in 2023. The young batter has been placed ahead of some of the T20I greats, including former Australia captain Aaron Finch (240 runs), Indian middle-order Shreyas Iyer (240 runs) and retired flamboyant Australian batter David Warner (239 runs). Tilak Varma became the first batter to amass over 300 runs without being dismissed in consecutive innings in the T20I history. 

After the retirement of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja from the T20Is following the T20 World Cup triumph last year, Team India has been under transition by accommodating young players in the team and Tilak Varma has emerged as one of the brightest talents in the new era, showcasing remarkable performance under pressure and maintaining consistency. 

Tilak Varma made his T20I debut for India against Bangladesh in September 2023. The young and talented batter has amassed 707 runs, including two centuries and three fifties, at an average of 58.91 and a strike rate of 156.07 in 22 matches. 

Tilak Varma will look to continue his brilliant form when Team India take on England in the third T20I of the five-match series at the Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Tuesday, January 28.