'He was the difference' - Brydon Carse credits Tilak Varma's 'mature innings' as game-changer in second T20I

India and England were involved in a fiercely contested duel at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai. The second T20I of the five-match series went the hosts' way, but only after Tilak Varma came through with a magnificent 72-run knock under pressure.

Coming in at No. 3, he stayed all the way to the end to guide his side to a narrow two-wicket victory with four deliveries to spare. English bowling all-rounder, Brydon Carse, felt Tilak's knock was why England could not end up on the right side of the result. He also came in defence of fast-bowling quick, Jofra Archer, who was taken to the cleaners by the 22-year-old southpaw.

“I felt like we got a decent score on the board towards the end. We kept on taking wickets throughout the game. But, you know, credit goes to Tilak and I think he played a very mature, smart innings and ultimately he was the difference," stated Carse in the post-match press conference, as quoted by News18.

“A couple of nights ago, Jofra had an amazing spell upfront. I still think he bowled pretty well tonight. He was pretty unfortunate. I don’t know the exact number, but a lot of runs (were scored) over the keeper’s head behind square. I suppose that sometimes happens, you know, when you bowl 90 miles an hour," he further added.

You’ve got to win now, so every game’s going to be serious: 

Notably, all rounder Brydon Carse, who scored a promising 17-ball 31 and scalped three wickets in his four-over spell, added that England are in a do-or-die space with three games to go in the series, and were in dire need of uplifting their performances despite their outing in the second match significantly better than how they fared in the series opener.

Also Read: Tilak Varma on smashing Jofra Archer during 2nd T20I in Chennai

“It’s obviously a defeat, but these sorts of close finishes will do wonders for you going forward for the rest of the season and the Champions Trophy. But ultimately, we haven’t put a full performance in. So, it’s quite exciting to see where we can get to over these next couple of games. Two games gone now, three to play, there’s no room now. You’ve got to win now, so every game’s going to be serious. Obviously, guys are a little bit down, but as a whole, I think it’s pretty inevitable that the performance tonight was a lot better than the other night," Carse concluded.

On the other hand, Team India will be riding high on self-assurance. The home side would be aiming to wrap up the T20I series by winning the third game to be played in Rajkot on Tuesday.