The extra demand behind Tilak Varma’s finishing tempo

Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 51 from 22 balls against Pakistan on 3 October gave India a glimpse of the scoring it wants from a finisher. Since the start of this year, he has struck at 158.73 in 19 innings at number five or lower, against a career strike rate of 145.5 across men’s T20s. India’s answer to its finishing vacancy is taking shape lower down the order. That higher tempo makes the idea credible: later in an innings, each ball spent getting settled is a ball he cannot recover.

The wicket still matters

His longer batting record gives that burst some weight. Across men’s T20s over the last two years, his batting average is 40.49, against 23.57 for top-seven batters. That is a sound base for asking a middle-order batter to start faster, although batting at five asks a different question from an innings with time to settle.

A finisher who reaches the last over can keep using the pace he has found. Against Zimbabwe on 25 July, Tilak made 60 not out from 29 balls. The runs came quickly and he remained there; India need those qualities together when he arrives late.

Give him the late overs

A quick cameo is easier to remember than the work of keeping an innings moving. His run of lower-order innings is therefore more persuasive than the Pakistan knock alone: the faster scoring has extended across repeated chances in the role. Our ratings place him 29th among 50 men’s T20 batters across every side, worth 2.5 runs a match more than an average player. He is a useful batter; the salient choice for India is how to use him.

Tilak did not bat in the first T20I against West Indies, when India reached 172 for two in 14.4 overs. The second T20I is on Friday 9 October, and another chase could leave him watching again. When India do need runs from the later overs, they should keep him at number five or lower and give him that work.