T20 World Cup 2026: “Comfortable at 10-over entry point,” Ryan Ten Doeschate addresses Tilak Varma’s batting order
India’s assistant coach Ryan Ten Doeschate reckons Tilak Varma is ideally suited to bat at No. 6, considering the hosts need firepower at the back-end of the innings.
But that is not necessarily going to be the case in the do-or-die Super 8 clash of the T20 World Cup 2026 against the West Indies at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Sunday (March 1).
For the first five games, Tilak’s approach at No. 3 was more of an anchor, with 107 runs and a strike rate of 118. However, sending him at No. 6 in the Super 8 match against Zimbabwe worked wonders as the southpaw hammered 44 off just 16 balls with three fours and four sixes.
“No, it’s not a foregone conclusion that he’ll bat at five or six tomorrow. I thought the other night, Tilak, he looked like a number six. He looked like someone who’s really comfortable at a 10-over entry point.
“And I think that’s a massive kudos to him, the way he’s adapted his game. I don’t think he’s been short on form,” Ten Doeschate said in the pre-match presser, as quoted by PTI.
Tilak launched a brutal assault on the Zimbabwean bowlers right from the word go after coming to the crease in the 15th over.
“I thought that was to look back to his old Tilak and play the situation beautifully. So it’s comforting to know that we have a little bit more power down the middle,” the assistant coach added.
Ten Doeschate expects the West Indies think tank to bring back left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein against India and play the catch-up game.
“They (West Indies) might play Chase. They might play Akeal. We kind of bank on them playing Chase. So we have got different entry points for the guys ideally where they come in.”
Ten Doeschate also sympathized with Tilak Varma, who had undergone abdominal surgery leading up to the T20 World Cup.
“I mentioned before, spending four weeks on the sideline, coming into the tournament and slowly building up is kind of what you expect,” the Dutchman observed.
“Like I always say, the link between getting out of the blocks quickly and setting up for the back end is the key to India’s success. And it’s nice to know that Tilak can perform those roles,” Ten Doeschate said.
(With PTI Inputs)
