"I Am Enjoying Vice-Captaincy": Tilak Varma On Leadership Role In India's T20I Team

India's T20I vice-captain Tilak Varma says he is enjoying his leadership responsibilities and regularly shares his inputs with captain Shreyas Iyer on the field. Tilak was named India's T20I vice-captain as part of a leadership reshuffle following the T20 World Cup 2026, when Shreyas was appointed captain. The left-hander has leadership experience with Hyderabad across formats and has also captained India A sides. Speaking about his role in the Indian T20I setup, Tilak explained how he supports the skipper during matches.

"I have done captaincy in every format for my state. For the last year, I have also captained India A. So, I have that experience and knowledge. Whatever message I can pass on, I always convey it to Shreyas on the field," Tilak said during the pre-match press conference ahead of India's fourth T20I against New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland.

"T20 is a pressure game. Nowadays, especially, games are very high-scoring. So, as a captain, it is difficult to cover everything. I communicate with Shreyas wherever I can help him. He also asks for my inputs. I am enjoying those small roles," he added.

Tilak also spoke about his passion for fielding. During the ongoing T20I series in New Zealand, he set the record for the most catches by a fielder in a calendar year, taking 26 catches in 2026 and surpassing the previous mark of 25 set by Indonesia's Danilson Hawoe last year.

"I have been a good fielder since childhood. Whenever I practise fielding, I never look at it as a burden. When playing overseas, there's wind, cold weather and the ball can wobble in the air, but I've always genuinely enjoyed fielding. I never complain about spending long hours on the field.

"The more you enjoy it, the better the results come naturally. Being athletic naturally helps. On the field, I like taking responsibility and running hard. Wherever the fielding hotspots are, I immediately put myself there.

"The team also trusts my catching ability, so they prefer placing me in those key positions. That gives me more opportunities to stop runs and take catches. When you pull off good catches, the crowd and fans enjoy it too," he added.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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