Team India are on West Indies tour, and the five-match T20I series between the two teams is underway. The hosts registered remarkable wins in the first two games, while India had a one-sided win in the third game. Now, both teams will lock horns in the fourth game of the series.
This match will take place on Saturday at Central Broward Regional Park in Florida. India registered a 7-wicket win in the last game, with Suryakumar Yadav and Tilkar Varma being stars with the bat. SKY made a 23-ball fifty and scored 83 off 44, including 10 fours and four sixes.
Tilak also played well and remained unbeaten at 49 off 37. But despite the win, there was a rather controversial moment when skipper Hardik Pandya finished off the game with a six when India needed two runs to win. Many former cricketers and fans criticized Hardik for not giving Tilak a chance to complete his half-century.
Some fans even compared him with the situation when MS Dhoni blocked a ball to let Virat Kohli hit the winning run against South Africa during the 2016 T20 World Cup. India won by 13 balls to spare, and Tilak remained unbeaten on 49.
However, former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has come out in support of Hardik and said he does not need to be Dhoni. In a video uploaded on his YouTube channel, Aakash said that there is no need to follow MSD when it comes to these situations.
Aakash said, “Hardik has been trolled a lot. I remember Dhoni defending a ball as he wanted Virat Kohli to finish it off, who was at the other end. So that was Dhoni, but Hardik does not have to be Dhoni. He doesn’t need to become like Dhoni, even if he considers him his idol.”
Tilak scored his maiden half-century in the second game in Guyana. He has been in great form in his debut series. The 20-year-old is currently the highest run-scorer in the series. He has scored 139 runs at a batting average of 69.50 and a strike rate of 139.
