IND vs ENG: Mohammad Kaif raises concerns over Tilak Varma’s batting struggles against spinners

India’s T20I vice-captain Tilak Varma has been struggling with his form for quite some time. His current form has now become a serious cause for concern for the 'Men in Blue'. His form dipped after playing a match-winning knock against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 final. Meanwhile, there have also been shuffles in his batting order. Furthermore, he failed to deliver a standout performance in the IPL 2026 season. 

Former cricketers have been constantly commenting on his form; notably, former cricketer Mohammed Kaif has advised him to improve his batting against spinners. Kaif believes that Tilak is struggling to rotate the strike—finding it difficult to take singles and doubles—which is placing immense pressure on him. He has managed to score only 37 runs across the three innings played against England so far.

“He really needs to improve his ability against spin. I'm honestly surprised that an Indian batter struggles so much against spin. Forget hitting boundaries, he isn't even able to rotate the strike. Many players who can't attack spin at least take singles and doubles to keep the scoreboard moving. Tilak isn't even doing that," Kaif said.

Kaif further noted that Tilak Varma attempts risky shots to alleviate the pressure caused by dot balls, often losing his wicket in the process—something that is ultimately hurting the team. He fears that his current form could cost him his spot in the India playing XI. He advised the vice-captain of India that he has to improve his game against spinners. 

“As a result, dot balls keep piling up. Then he feels the pressure to play a big shot, and in the process, he gets out, just like he did when he was stumped. That's why I'm really concerned about his quality against spin. The ball isn't even turning much. Just vary the pace slightly and bowl in the right areas, and he struggles to score.” 

“He has to improve his game against spin. Otherwise, he'll keep getting trapped in T20 cricket. Even yesterday, he was on 3 runs off 11 balls. That's why you often see him on 19 off 19. It's because he plays too many dot balls against spin and can't find boundaries in the middle overs. Then, when the death overs arrive, he starts hitting boundaries and covers it up. But being on 20 runs off 20 balls in the middle overs is very risky," Kaif said.

“It's risky for his place in the team as well. If you get out after scoring 20 off 20, you've only created pressure on yourself because you haven't been able to score quickly enough. He has to learn how to hit boundaries against spin in the middle overs. That's the biggest challenge in front of Tilak,” he added.

Indian team is currently trailing the series 0-2 after 3 matches of the IND vs ENG 5-match T20I series. Men in Blue have already lost the chance to win the series, and if they lose any game, they will also lose it.