I am puzzled by the discussion around Tilak Varma missing out on a 50: Harsha Bhogle

Notable cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle has weighed in on the controversy that engulfed rookie batter Tilak Varma and T20I captain Hardik Pandya following the third game of the ongoing five-match series against the West Indies on August 8. After falling short in the first two matches, the Men in Blue staged a terrific comeback in the third game, outplaying the Rovman Powell-led side by seven wickets to stay alive in the series.

Hardik finished the game in style, smashing a magnificent six when India needed only two runs off 14 deliveries. The victory, though, was marred by the stump mic recording of the skipper asking Tilak to stay there, who was on the non-striker's end, on the verge of scoring his second T20I half-century.

While many cricket fans and experts were divided by Hardik's conduct, Bhogle has taken a stance, claiming that the 50-run mark is not a benchmark in the game's shortest format. The 62-year-old went on to say that if a player scores maximum runs quickly, the average and strike rate is what is important.

"I am puzzled by the discussion around Tilak Varma missing out on a 50. It isn't a landmark, in fact other than a century (which is rare), there are no landmarks in T20 cricket. We are far too obsessed with individual achievement within a team sport. I don't believe 50s should be recorded in individual stats in T20 cricket. If you have made enough runs quickly enough (avg and SR), that is all that matters," Bhogle wrote on X.

Meanwhile, legendary South African wicketkeeper-batter AB de Villiers backed his assertion and commented, "Thank you thank you thank you. Finally someone says it!"

See Harsha Bhogle's post:

I am puzzled by the discussion around Tilak Varma missing out on a 50. It isn't a landmark, in fact other than a century (which is rare), there are no landmarks in T20 cricket. We are far too obsessed with individual achievement within a team sport. I don't believe 50s should be…

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) August 10, 2023

India beat West Indies by seven wickets

Speaking of the game, West Indies won the toss and decided to bat first. Kuldeep Yadav finished with figures of 3/28 as West Indies were restricted to 159 runs. In reply, Suryakumar Yadav, the No. 1 T20I batter in the world currently, played a blistering knock of 83 off 44 deliveries as India chased down the target with 13 balls to spare.

The fourth and fifth matches will be contested on August 12 and 13, respectively, with Central Broward Regional Park in Florida hosting both games.