ന്യൂസിലൻഡിനെതിരായ പരമ്പര വിജയം: ബൗളർമാരുടെ മികവിനെ വാനോളം പുകഴ്ത്തി യുവതാരം തിലക് വർമ്മ

Tilak Varma has never been to Eden Park before. Whatever little he knows about the venue, he insists, is based on what he has heard. The straight boundaries are shorter, in contrast to Christchurch, where the Indian batters pummelled the New Zealand bowlers into submission to help the side take an unassailable lead in the series.

Three games in the series have produced three high-scoring contests, with India emerging victorious each time while chasing the totals posted by the hosts. To that effect, Tilak believes the Indian bowlers have delivered in conditions that were stacked against them, and it will be them who hold the key to India's chances in the fourth T20I in front of a packed stadium in Auckland.

“In the last two games we have bowled really well as a bowling unit, especially in the death overs and the middle phase,” Tilak said on Thursday. “If you see Prince Yadav especially, the way he is executing the yorkers when the team needs, especially in the death overs. That is a positive sign for us.

“And I think, in the next few games they are also (going to be important). If you see in the last game, the boundaries were really small, the square side. And this game, I think, the straighter (boundaries) there will be on the shorter side. (That’s what) I heard. I never played, but I heard. So, with that again, those crucial overs, bowling in the death, executing those yorkers will be really crucial.”

But Tilak isn’t too fussed about the dimensions of the ground. All he needs to know is whether the pitch will assist the batters. “If the wicket is good, it doesn't matter with the ground,” he insists.

With the series sealed, India are now aiming for a whitewash - a much-needed result for a T20I side under Shreyas Iyer that hasn’t found as much success as it would have liked since the tour of Ireland in July. The success in New Zealand has come despite the players having had very little time to rest, travelling all over the country amid a tight schedule. While Tilak admits it has been hectic, he believes it is important for them not to use it as an excuse and to set the standards for the younger players coming in.

“We, as a T20 team, were playing in a lot of countries, because we went to Ireland, UK, then we went to Zimbabwe, then we came back to Japan. All of it was happening continuously. Plus, there was the challenging of time difference to get used to continuously. If you see from Japan, the difference from Japan was quite a bit. But we are at this level that we cannot give excuses. We are in the top level, we have to set the standards. For the youngsters who will come, they’ll be seeing us. So, we cannot give excuses.

“Mentally, every player, as an individual, has prepared so well. Everyone said that, and especially Gautam sir was telling in the team meeting, and everywhere, that this is a long series, 1.5 months, almost 1.5-2 months - where we are playing everything from T20Is to one-days to Tests. So, he said that, as a T20 team, what standards you set, that will give you momentum for one-day and Test.

“So, our mindset as a T20 team is that we will set a standard, and this time, for one day and Test, it can continue. So, the plan was that, mentally, everyone is so strong, that we can give our best on the ground. So far, we have given our all, and by God's grace, we are up 3-0.”

Tilak also praised Naman Dhir's performances with the ball but insisted that he continues to bowl in the nets to be ready with his secondary skill whenever the team requires his services.

“As a management, we have spoken (about my bowling) and I have done a lot of work. Now, we have Naman Dhir in the team. He is bowling well, so there is not much use of my bowling. But behind the scenes, I am also practising. I am confident, when I get a chance, I will bowl. Right now, Naman Dhir is doing well (with the ball) in T20s. So, if he is doing well, the team can’t stop him and get me to bowl. But when I get such an opportunity, of course, I will step in, and I will do the job.”