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'Make it make sense': Tilak Varma retired out call baffles ex-India cricketers

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The Times Of Indiapublisher-detail-arrow
05th April, 2025 09:24 IST
Mumbai Indians sparked controversy in a crucial IPL match by retiring out Tilak Varma during the 19th over while chasing a steep 204-run target. The decision, made with 24 runs needed off 7 balls, drew widespread criticism from fans and former cricketers despite its tactical intent to accelerate scoring.

The strategic move came when Tilak Varma was struggling to maintain momentum at the crease. Hardik's decision to retire him out and bring in a fresh batter for the final overs caught spectators by surprise.

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The decision triggered immediate backlash on social media platforms. Cricket enthusiasts questioned the fairness of withdrawing a set batter, expressing concerns about its potential impact on player confidence.


Former cricket stars Harbhajan Singh , Hanuman Vihari, Robin Singh and Irfan Pathan voiced their disapproval on social media. They emphasised that retiring out a settled batter during a pressure situation could have disrupted team rhythm.

The effectiveness of the strategy became a major discussion point after Mumbai's 12-run defeat.

Harbhajan posted on X: "Retiring Tilak for Santer was a mistake in my opinion . Is Santner a better hitter than Tilak ? If it was for Pollard or some other accomplished hitter I would have understood . But Don’t agree with this . Come on"



Vihari questioned the move in itself and went further to ask why Pandya himself wasn't taken off for not looking good in the chase either.


"Tilak Verma retired out for santner??? Make me make sense!!! Hardik struggled vs GT never was retired out! Why tilak then?," he posted on X.





Irfan Pathan posted, "Tilak Verma retired out n Santner coming in? Doesn’t make sense to me. What do you guys think?"





Robin Singh questioned the timing of the move as well, believing it should have been done sooner - if at all.





"Unsettled opening pair continues to haunt @mipaltan Mumbai Indians in @TATAIPL25. If there was a decision to retire Tilak Varma , maybe it should have been done an over earlier??," he posted on X.


In his post-match press conference, Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene said it had been his decision to retire Tilak.



"He just wanted to get going but he couldn't," Jayawardene said. "[We] waited till the last few overs, hoping that [he would find his rhythm], because he had spent some time there so he should have been able to get that hit out of the way, but I just felt that at the end, I just needed someone fresh to go, and he was struggling.

"These things happen in cricket. Not nice to take him out but I had to do that, it was a tactical decision at that point."

'Why retire him'

Ex-India batter Sehwag also admitted his confusion with the decision.

“I didn’t understand why they got him to retire out,” said Sehwag post-match on Cricbuzz. “He had played 20-25 deliveries, yes his shots weren’t connecting, but it’s not like Santner did something in the two balls he faced. If the last over was going to be faced by Hardik Pandya then why retire him?”

“Who knows, on Santner’s two deliveries, maybe Tilak Varma hits a boundary. There would have been some benefit, but it’s outside my understanding,” said Sehwag. “In our time this kind of thing never happened, we always wished yaar isko bahar bulao, out hoke aaja (get him off the field, get out and come back.) But we never even thought to retire out.”

Murali Kartik also questioned the logic of the decision.

“If you have called Santner in with the belief that he can hit the big shot, then why did Pandya not take the single in the last over? If you have retired him out and want to maintain your logic for that, then you should have given Mitchell Santner the strike,” said the former Indian spinner.

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