Auckland, Oct 29 — India's T20I vice-captain Tilak Varma stated that he is enjoying the leadership role he has been given as he keeps sharing his inputs with captain Shreyas Iyer on the field.
Tilak was named India's T20I vice-captain in a leadership reshuffle when Shreyas was announced as the captain after the T20 World Cup 2026. He has experience leading his state team, Hyderabad, across all formats and has also led India A sides too.
He spoke on his leadership role in the Indian T20I side, detailing how he shares his inputs with the current skipper. "I have done (captaincy) in every format for my state. And for a year now, I have done (captaincy) for India A too. So, I have that experience. I have that knowledge. Whatever message I can pass, I always convey it on the field to Shreyas," Tilak said in the pre-match press conference ahead of India's fourth T20I against New Zealand at Eden Park in Auckland.
"T20 is a pressure game. Especially, nowadays there is always pressure as games are very high scoring. So, as a captain, it is difficult to cover everything. So, I communicate with Iyer where I can help him. He also asks. So, I am enjoying those small roles," Tilak added.
Tilak also stated that he enjoys fielding in the middle. During the ongoing T20I series against New Zealand, Tilak set the record for having taken most catches as a fielder in a single calendar year. He has 26 grabs in 2026, going past the previous record of 25 catches that Indonesia's Danilson Hawoe took last year.
"I have been a good fielder since childhood. Whenever I practice fielding, I never look at it as a burden. When playing overseas, there's wind, cold weather, and the ball wobbles 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 allows me more opportunities to stop runs and take catches. When you pull off good catches, the crowd and fans enjoy it too," he added.