‘He is nothing in front of Patidar’, former selector angry at 23 year old explosive batsman

New Delhi. India made a 3-0 clean sweep in the T20 series against Zimbabwe, but amid the team’s victory, 23-year-old Tilak Verma’s batting once again came under question. India’s former chief selector Krishnamachari Srikkanth made a scathing attack on Tilak and said that he would have never stood a chance against Rajat Patidar in T20 cricket. Srikanth believes that if Team India needs an explosive batsman in the middle order then the selectors should give a chance to Patidar.

‘Tilak is nothing in front of Rajat Patidar’
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Krishnamachari Srikkanth raised questions on Tilak Verma’s batting. He said that Tilak is not succeeding in scoring runs at a fast pace and the lack of consistency in his batting is clearly visible. Srikanth said, ‘Once again Tilak ate nine balls. He cannot bat fast for long. Where is the continuity? What did they do in England? Nothing is achieved by playing one or two good innings. He is nothing in front of Rajat Patidar. If you want a real T20 batsman then give Patidar a chance.

The bat did not work in the third match
In the third T20 match against Zimbabwe, Tilak Verma returned unbeaten after scoring 11 runs on 9 balls. Batting first, India scored 192/5 and won the match by 35 runs and won the series 3-0. However, before this, in the second T20, Tilak had scored unbeaten 60 runs on 29 balls. Despite this, his slow start and struggle against spin bowlers in the middle overs continues to be a topic of discussion.

Patidar better option
Srikanth believes that Rajat Patidar is a better option for T20 cricket. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Patidar had performed brilliantly in IPL 2026. He scored 501 runs in 14 innings. During this period his average was 41.75 and strike rate was 192.69. He also scored five half-centuries and played an important role in RCB winning the title. Despite this, Patidar did not get a place in the Indian team for the England tour, Zimbabwe T20 series and the Asian Games to be held in September.

Tilak will have to perform
Team India has tried to mold Tilak Verma into the role of finisher, but at this position he will face tough competition from players like Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dubey. However, Tilak has been made the vice-captain of the T20 team, so dropping him from the team will not be an easy decision for the selectors. In such a situation, everyone’s eyes will be on the performance of both Tilak and Rajat Patidar in the coming months.