India’s Tilak Varma plays a shot during the fifth T20 International between India and England in the India tour of England 2026 at The Rose Bowl in Southampton, England, on Saturday, July 11, 2026. (Photo: IANS)

Ahead of the 3-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, India vice-captain Tilak Varma reflected on the team’s disappointing tour of Ireland and England, his role in the middle order, the responsibility that comes with leadership, and the challenge of adapting to overseas conditions. He also said India will not take the Chevrons lightly despite travelling with a stronger squad than last year.

India head into the series looking to bounce back after a winless tour of the UK and Ireland. The team struggled to adjust to seaming conditions while the batting unit repeatedly lost wickets in the powerplay. It was the Indian team’s first bilateral assignments since defending the ICC T20 World Cup title on home soil back in March but it didn’t go as planned.

Tilak believes those setbacks have given the squad valuable lessons ahead of another away assignment. One of the major talking points was his own batting approach. His poor strike rate was a topic of discussion but the left-hander defended himself, saying his game is built around the match situation rather than personal milestones or strike rate.

He said batting in the middle order often demands patience, especially when the top order has already lost quick wickets.

“In T20 cricket, I do whatever the team needs. If I have to spend time at the crease, I will. If I have to attack, I will do that as well,” Tilak said.

He pointed to India’s recent tours of Ireland and England, where the team regularly lost four or five wickets inside the powerplay. According to him, trying to play attacking shots immediately after walking in would only have made matters worse.

“When the team is already under pressure after losing early wickets, there is no point in going out and swinging at every ball. You first have to build the innings and then look to score quickly,” he said.

Tilak admitted that attacking cricket comes naturally to him but said playing for India requires making decisions that suit the team’s needs rather than individual preferences.

“I know I can hit from the first ball, but when you are playing for the country, you have responsibilities. You have to think about the team’s position before thinking about your own game,” he added.

The 23-year-old also spoke about being named India’s T20I vice-captain. He said the role brings added responsibility and that he wants to repay the faith shown in him by the team management.

“The management has trusted me with this role after giving it proper thought. I want to justify that trust by doing whatever is required for the team,” Tilak said.

Looking back at the defeats in Ireland and England, Tilak felt India’s lack of exposure to overseas conditions played a major role. He noted that the team had spent most of the past two years playing cricket in Asia before travelling to face one of the strongest sides in world cricket.

“We had been playing mostly in Asian conditions. Then we went straight into difficult overseas conditions against England, who are a very strong team. It was always going to be challenging,” he said.

Despite the recent setbacks, Tilak expects India to be better prepared in Zimbabwe. He believes the experience gained during the last two series will help the players adjust more quickly to the conditions.

He also warned against underestimating Zimbabwe, recalling that the hosts had won the opening match of India’s previous tour before the visitors recovered to take the series.

“Zimbabwe are a very competitive side. They beat us in the first match last year, so we know they can challenge us. We expect them to come hard at us,” Tilak said.

Tilak added that he had spoken to players who toured Zimbabwe last year, including Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, to understand the nature of the pitches. He also feels India’s recent experience in Ireland and England should work in their favor as they begin the series.