India's T20I team has won all three matches in the ongoing series against New Zealand while chasing the hosts' totals in high-scoring contests. The victories have come despite challenging conditions and a demanding travel schedule that has kept the squad moving across multiple countries. Tilak Varma, the middle-order batter, has highlighted the role of India's bowling unit in securing these wins, particularly in phases where the opposition appeared to have built strong totals.
Varma spoke about the team's performance on Thursday, October 29. He emphasised that India's bowlers have performed well across the series, managing to contain New Zealand despite the high-scoring nature of the matches. The fourth T20I is scheduled at Eden Park in Auckland, where a packed stadium is expected, and Varma believes the bowling unit will remain crucial to India's chances of extending their winning streak.
"In the last two games we have bowled really well as a bowling unit, especially in the death overs and the middle phase," Varma was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. .
The batter specifically highlighted the performance of Prince Yadav, whose execution of yorkers in death overs has impressed the team management. Varma noted that Yadav's ability to deliver yorkers when the team needs them most, particularly in the final stages of an innings, represents a positive development for India's bowling attack. This consistency in executing crucial deliveries has been a key factor in India's success across the series.
"If you see Prince Yadav especially, the way he is executing the yorkers when the team needs, especially in the death overs. That is a positive sign for us. “And I think, in the next few games they are also (going to be important). If you see in the last game, the boundaries were really small, the square side," Varma added.
Varma acknowledged that Eden Park presents different dimensions compared to Christchurch, where Indian batters had pummelled New Zealand bowlers in an earlier match to help India secure an unassailable lead in the series. However, he stressed that the quality of the pitch matters more than the ground's physical layout when it comes to determining outcomes.
His perspective suggests that India's approach will remain consistent regardless of venue-specific factors.
"And this game, I think, the straighter (boundaries) there will be on the shorter side. (That’s what) I heard. I never played, but I heard. So, with that again, those crucial overs, bowling in the death, executing those yorkers will be really crucial," he added.
"If the wicket is good, it doesn't matter with the ground," Varma said.
How is the team managing the demanding schedule?
India's T20I team under Shreyas Iyer has faced challenges since touring Ireland in July, and the current series represents an opportunity to build momentum. The squad has had very little time to rest, travelling continuously across multiple countries including the United Kingdom, Zimbabwe and Japan. Despite these obstacles, Varma stressed that the team cannot use the demanding schedule as an excuse for underperformance.
"We, as a T20 team, were playing in a lot of countries, because we went to Ireland, UK, then we went to Zimbabwe, then we came back to Japan. All of it was happening continuously. Plus, there was the challenging of time difference to get used to continuously. If you see from Japan, the difference from Japan was quite a bit. But we are at this level that we cannot give excuses," Varma said.
"We are in the top level, we have to set the standards. For the youngsters who will come, they'll be seeing us. So, we cannot give excuses," he added.
