Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif has launched a sharp criticism of Tilak Varma’s struggles against spin, saying the young batter must improve quickly if he wants to hold his place in India’s T20I setup. Kaif’s comments come just ahead of the fourth T20I against England, which will be played on Thursday, July 9, at the County Ground in Bristol. India are under heavy pressure in the five-match series after a crushing 125-run defeat in the third T20I in Nottingham.

Chasing 202, the Men in Blue collapsed for just 76 in 11.4 overs, and Tilak’s dismissal became one of the talking points of the match. The left-hander managed only three runs off 11 balls before being stumped by Will Jacks, once again raising questions about his game against spin bowling. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Mohammad Kaif said he was surprised to see an Indian batter struggle so much against spin, especially in the middle overs. He pointed out that while not every player can attack spin aggressively, most batters at least find ways to rotate strike and keep the scoreboard moving.

In Tilak’s case, Mohammad Kaif feels even that basic requirement is missing. “He really needs to improve his ability against spin. I’m honestly surprised that an Indian batter struggles so much against spin. Forget hitting boundaries, he isn’t even able to rotate the strike. Many players who can’t attack spin at least take singles and doubles to keep the scoreboard moving. Tilak isn’t even doing that,” Kaif said.

ALSO READ: Phil Salt Reveals Why He Had To ‘Fight Hard’ Before Punishing India In Trent Bridge

Kaif added that the problem with too many dot balls is that pressure keeps building, eventually forcing the batter into a risky shot. According to him, spin bowlers do not need extravagant turn to trouble Tilak; they only need to vary the pace and hit the right lengths. That, Kaif believes, is enough to make the southpaw uncomfortable.

“As a result, dot balls keep piling up. Then he feels the pressure to play a big shot, and in the process, he gets out, just like he did when he was stumped. That’s why I’m really concerned about his quality against spin. The ball isn’t even turning much. Just vary the pace slightly and bowl in the right areas, and he struggles to score,” he explained.

The former India batter also warned that Tilak’s approach in the middle overs could become a problem for his long-term future in the side. While the 23-year-old has the ability to clear the ropes during the death overs, Kaif feels that relying on late acceleration is dangerous in T20 cricket if the batter is unable to score freely earlier in the innings.

“He has to improve his game against spin. Otherwise, he’ll keep getting trapped in T20 cricket. Even yesterday, he was on 3 runs off 11 balls. That’s why you often see him on 19 off 19. It’s because he plays too many dot balls against spin and can’t find boundaries in the middle overs,” Mohammad Kaif said.

WATCH – Ravichandran Ashwin Slams Selectors After Sanju Samson Snub

He further added that Tilak’s place in the XI could also come under threat if he continues to score slowly in the middle phase of innings. “It’s risky for his place in the team as well. If you get out after scoring 20 off 20, you’ve only created pressure on yourself because you haven’t been able to score quickly enough. He has to learn how to hit boundaries against spin in the middle overs. That’s the biggest challenge in front of Tilak,” Kaif concluded.

Despite the current criticism, Tilak Varma’s T20I numbers remain strong overall. In 51 innings, he has scored 1,504 runs at an average of 42.97 and a strike rate of 142.28, including seven fifties and two centuries, with a best of unbeaten 120.