India go into the fourth T20I against West Indies in Hyderabad on October 14 holding a 2-1 series lead, but vice-captain Tilak Varma has been quick to dismiss any notion that the job is close to done. Speaking ahead of the match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Tilak pointed to the tourists’ depth of power-hitting as the reason India cannot afford to relax, even with two matches of the five-game series remaining and a result already trending the hosts’ way.
A series that has swung both ways
The series has been anything but one-sided. India won the opener in Lucknow by eight wickets, a comfortable victory that suggested a straightforward series ahead. West Indies responded in Ranchi, chasing a high-scoring target of 249 to level the series, before India regained control with a tense 14-run win in Indore. That scoreline — 2-1 with two to play — explains why Tilak was at pains to stress respect for the opposition rather than assume the contest was petering out. “The West Indies are a really good side, especially in the T20 format,” he said, “the power they have is unbelievable.”
Why Ranchi still weighs on India’s thinking
The Ranchi defeat appears to have left a mark on India’s bowling approach. Tilak admitted the side had been too passive as West Indies’ batters took the chase away from them, saying, “We were slightly defensive when they were scoring runs.” He credited head coach Gautam Gambhir with pushing the bowling group to be more proactive and attack for wickets rather than simply containing, a shift in mentality India will be looking to carry into the back end of the series. Tilak’s point about depth was pointed: “Everyone can hit the ball. It is not just the openers, number three or four,” a reminder that West Indies’ lower order, built on franchise T20 experience across global leagues, can cause damage even when the top order fails.
Tilak’s own role taking shape
Individually, Tilak has been finding his feet in a middle-order role that has shifted during the series — batting at number six in Ranchi and number five in Indore, where his finishing contributed to India’s competitive total. He said he prefers batting at number three, where he can either rebuild after early losses or accelerate quickly if the top order has already batted deep into the innings, but he has adapted to whatever position the team balance has required. Playing in front of his home crowd in Hyderabad added extra motivation, with Tilak calling it “a proud moment” to represent the side as vice-captain in his home city.
Differing reads on where the series stands
From the home dressing room’s perspective, the message is one of controlled confidence: a 2-1 lead with two to play, but no complacency after Ranchi’s warning. “Until all 10 wickets fall, the game is not over. We cannot relax,” Tilak said, framing Hyderabad as an opportunity to seal the series rather than a formality. The touring camp, by contrast, will see Ranchi as proof the series is still very much alive — West Indies showed in that chase they can match India stroke for stroke when their batters click, and a repeat performance in Hyderabad would push the series to a decider in Bengaluru on October 17.
What it means and what’s next
A win for India in Hyderabad would secure the series with a match to spare, continuing a strong recent run of white-ball form that also included a 2-1 ODI series win over the same opponents earlier this month. A West Indies win would set up a series-deciding fifth T20I at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Either way, the result in Hyderabad will offer a clearer picture of India’s white-ball depth ahead of a five-match T20I series in New Zealand later this month, part of a historic 12-match tour that begins October 22, where management will be looking for exactly the kind of proactive, wicket-taking cricket Tilak described as the target for the remainder of this series.
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