'Why not': Aakash Chopra says Tilak Varma can be tried at number four in ODIs for India

Young batting sensation Tilak Varma has been a revelation in the ongoing T20I series between West Indies and India in the Caribbean, and former opener Aakash Chopra believes that the 20-year-old must be tried at number four in ODIs. The number four batting spot has been something that is a widely discussed topic ahead of the ODI World Cup in India later this year. Both KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer are continuing their recovery from injuries, and Suryakumar Yadav is yet to discover his magic with the bat in ODIs. Yadav has just 30 runs from six matches while batting at number. Also read: Tilak Varma hopes to win World Cup after realising dream of playing for India Tilak made his senior India debut in the first T20I against West Indies in Barbados, where he scored 39 off 22 balls, before scoring a fifty in the second match in Guyana. On Tuesday, Tilak scored an unbeaten 49 in a match-winning affair. Pragyan Ojha, an expert with JioCinema, had tweeted out saying that Tilak should be looked into as a number four batter in ODIs. Aakash Chopra, another JioCinema expert, echoed Ojha’s views, saying that Tilak “can be tried”. “Generally, we tend to forget people who are not there. This has been a continuous debate happening around the No. 4 position. We even talked about it during the ODI series. We saw three different batters at that position, Axar Patel was also tried at that position, even though he wasn’t a candidate for that position. “At that time, we were still discussing Shreyas Iyer or KL Rahul, right? When they are back, I think Tilak must wait. But at this point in time, if we don’t see them, then why not, Tilak can be tried,” Chopra said. RP Singh, another expert with JioCinema, credited Tilak’s fearless batting approach and said that the youngster had ticked all boxes. “He has successfully ticked all the boxes, and the most impressive aspect of his batting lies in his fearless approach right from the first ball. He doesn’t merely swing for the sake of swinging; instead, he evaluates where to place the ball. His profound understanding of the game, including its pace and rhythm, enables him to take calculated risks. “I feel he is prepared, with his performances in the domestic circuit and IPL, all of that is in his head that he has played such good innings but when you play a match at the international level you need to prepare well knowing which bowlers are there and to which bowler will you be hitting those big shots,” said the former India pacer. West Indies lead the five-match T20I series 2-1. The fourth and fifth T20Is will be played in Florida on 12 and 13 August, as the caravan moves to the United States of America.