'You didn't have NRR pressure, it would make no difference': Ex-India opener baffled at Hardik's six with Tilak on 49*

Team India produced a stellar performance in the third T20I of the series against West Indies, beating the hosts by 7 wickets in Guyana to stay alive in the five-match rubber. After losing the first two games, India made a remarkable comeback at the Providence Stadium, thanks to Suryakumar Yadav's brilliant 83 and a solid performance from the bowling attack, which restricted the hosts to 159/5 in 20 overs. In addition to Suryakumar, young batter Tilak Varma delivered yet another strong performance, scoring an unbeaten 49 off 37 balls in the chase.

Tilak, who made his debut in the series, has enjoyed a consistent outing in all three games so far, scoring 30+ scores in every innings; he also became the first Indian to do so in the shortest format. However, many fans expressed their frustration at Tilak being denied a chance to reach his second-successive fifty in the West Indies series; with two runs needed off 13 balls, captain Hardik Pandya smashed a six against Rovman Powell, delivering India the win in Guyana.

Fans argued that Hardik could've let Tilak take the strike to let the latter reach his fifty – a sentiment shared by former India opener Aakash Chopra as well. On his official YouTube channel, Chopra insisted that there was no pressure related to Net Run Rate (NRR), and India still had 13 balls to score two runs. With seven wickets in hand, it made little sense for Hardik to smash a big hit.

“Tilak Varma, outstanding. First Indian to get 30+ scores in his first three international innings. He scored a fifty in his previous games and was close to another this time too, in fact, it should've been a fifty. His temperament is good, his range is good, he was aggressive at first and then was happy to play second-fiddle to Suryakumar,” Chopra said.

“Hardik comes to bat, tells him it's important to remain not out, don't get carried away. Then Hardik hits aggressive hits... you don't need NRR, it would've made no difference. He told Tilak to go easy, but tried to hit big shots himself. You needed 2 runs off 13 balls, and he smashed a six. I'm sure they want to build a culture that doesn't care about individual milestones. But even a not out doesn't really matter here, even if you were out there, you still had 12 balls there to score 2 runs. Tilak was denied a chance to score a fifty. That's just my opinion, though,” said the former opener further.

India will return for the fourth T20I – yet another must-win game for the side – on August 12 in Florida.