Former Indian selector Kris Srikkanth did not mince his words. He said Tilak Varma is clueless and India should play Sanju Samson in his place. “He’s already the vice-captain, and it looks like he’ll soon become the captain also. Tilak Varma might have himself said he doesn’t want to go out, seeing the pace and bounce. Tilak Varma is clueless. I would rather play Sanju Samson himself instead of Tilak Varma,” Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel. Samson, who had a brilliant T20 World Cup 2026 campaign, followed it up with a good Indian Premier League season for the Chennai Super Kings. However, in the series against Ireland and the first match of the five-match T20I series against England, Samson was not able to perform, and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi was drafted in his place. If Samson were to replace Tilak, he will get a slot in the middle-order, which in the past he has batted for India without not a lot of success. The pitch in the second T20I has quite a bit of bounce and seam movement, which both Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue could extract. Tilak walked into the middle after Axar Patel and Srikkanth questioned if the Hyderabadi is the vice-captain and designated main batter, why was the team protecting him and urged the team to drop him. “You make Tilak Varma your main batter and vice-captain. Yet, why are you shielding him against fast bowling? They are sending Axar Patel ahead of him. They are trying to shield Tilak Varma because they know he’s vulnerable against short-pitched bowling. I’ve been consistently saying he should be dropped. But they don’t drop him,” he added. Chasing 202 runs, India were bundled out for just 76 runs. The shocking capitulation at Trent Bridge also laid bare the team’s flaws and the management’s lack of a clear vision.Story continues below this ad The batters failed miserably against a fast and furious pace attack led by Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue, who blew India away by sharing seven wickets between them, including the entire top five.
Kris Srikkanth says Tilak Varma is ‘clueless’ and says he would pick Samson
