With Team India already sealing the five-game T20I series against New Zealand 3-0, vice-captain Tilak Varma backed the team to whitewash the hosts. Notably, his comments came ahead of the fourth T20I at Eden Park in Auckland.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference ahead of the fourth T20I, Tilak believes that this is a great opportunity for Team India to achieve a clean sweep and give the Indian crowd in New Zealand a chance to witness a 5-0 series win.
“We are thinking this is a great opportunity to achieve a clean sweep. The next goal is to win the upcoming match and give the Indian crowd a great chance to witness a 5–0 series win,” Tilak Varma said in the pre-match press conference.
Tilak Varma opened up about the challenges the squad faced in terms of travelling and adapting to conditions quickly. The T20I squad only had a short turnaround after their drawn home series against West Indies.
“It’s challenging. When you see a 3–0 lead, people think it’s straightforward, but as you said, it’s tough, especially with the time-zone differences. At this level, we cannot make excuses. We are at the highest level, and we need to set standards for the youngsters who look up to us,” he added.
India have achieved a 5-0 clean sweep in a T20I series only once, against New Zealand in 2020. Further, Tilak credited India head coach Gautam Gambhir for keeping the team focused on the bigger picture beyond the ongoing five-match series.
“Gautam sir made it clear in team meetings that this is a long tour and the standard we set as a T20 side will provide momentum for the ODI and Test squads,” he added.
