‘Should have played Virat Kohli’s role’: India batsman asked to ‘become chase master’ amid T20 World Cup criticism | Cricket News

New Delhi: Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has advised Tilak Varma to ignore outside criticism and focus on playing his instincts in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Tilak has had a tough campaign so far, scoring 107 runs in five games at a modest strike rate. Against South Africa, he tried to change his style of play and play more aggressively, but it backfired when he attempted a powerful shot.

Kraft says Tilak should stick to being a regular in the team, something like Virat Kohlirole rather than trying to hit too many big shots. He noted that Tilak changed his style due to the pressure of hitting, which affected his performance.“Tilak Varma has his own way of playing. He can afford a slow scoring rate. However, he got away with it while playing big. Hitting percentages put increasing pressure on him. As a player, you do pay attention to what is said. But it’s management’s job to ask players to stick to their roles. He should play Virat Kohli’s role. He got out of his game, went out and took a big shot. You’ll never play the game if you listen to what other people say,” Kraft said on his YouTube channel.He also explained that India already has a lot of aggressive batsmen, so Tilak’s job should be to stay till the end and guide the innings.“To be a chase master, you have to bat before the 20th over. Tilak Varma got out early, trying to bat. What is your role? Abhishek Sharma, Ishan KishanWashington Sundar, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik PandyaPlaying attacking cricket with Rinku Singh. There should be at least one player who can go deep into the game,” Kraft said.Tilak is expected to feature in India’s crucial match against Zimbabwe in Chennai.