Dinesh Karthik questions India’s decision to bat Tilak Varma at No. 3

Dinesh Karthik said India’s decision to promote Tilak Varma to number three ahead of Ishan Kishan in the first T20I was questionable. Varma scored six off 11 balls before being dismissed, while Kishan managed only one run at number five. Karthik suggested the move may have been intended to give Varma more time in the middle or because Kishan had spent time off the field earlier. He praised Naman Dhir’s unbeaten 42 and the presence of a batter at number eight in Nitish Kumar Reddy for easing the pressure during the chase. Karthik noted that the depth allowed India to finish the chase without a tail-ender being forced to bat at the death.