Famous cricket analyst Harsha Bhogle has commented on the issue between rookie batter Tilak Varma and T20I skipper Hardik Pandya following the third game of the upcoming five-match series against the West Indies on August 8. After losing the first two games, the Men in Blue made a great comeback and defeated the Rovman Powell-led team by seven wickets in the third game to win the match and salvage the series.
When India needed just two runs off of 14 pitches to win the game, Hardik blasted a stunning six to do it in style. The stump mic recording of the captain telling Tilak to stay there as he approached his second T20I half-century while on the non-striker’s end, however, overshadowed the victory.
Harsha Bhogle has taken a position, arguing that the 50-run threshold is not a standard in the game’s shortest format, despite the fact that many cricket fans and experts were divided by Hardik’s actions. The 62-year-old continued by saying that if a player racks up the most runs quickly, the average and strike rate are what matter.
“I find the talk surrounding Tilak Varma missing out on a 50 to be perplexing. It is not a landmark; in T20 cricket, the only notable achievements are centuries, which are uncommon. In team sports, we are far too fixated on individual success. I disagree that T20 cricket individual stats should include 50s.All that matters is whether you have made enough runs rapidly enough (avg and SR), according to Harsha Bhogle post on X.
In the meantime, renowned South African wicketkeeper-batsman AB de Villiers endorsed his claim and added, “Thank you thank you thank you. Finally, someone has said it.
View the article by Harsha Bhogle
I am puzzled by the discussion around Tilak Varma missing out on a 50. It isn’t a landmark, in fact other than a century (which is rare), there are no landmarks in T20 cricket. We are far too obsessed with individual achievement within a team sport. I don’t believe 50s should be…
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) August 10, 2023
West Indies lost to India by seven wickets
West Indies won the toss and choose to bat first in the game. West Indies were held to 159 runs thanks in part to Kuldeep Yadav, who concluded with statistics of 3/28. India chased down the mark with 13 balls remaining thanks to a scorching 83-ball reply from Suryakumar Yadav, the No. 1 T20I batter in the world right now.
On August 12 and 13, respectively, the fourth and fifth games will take place at Florida’s Central Broward Regional Park.