Overview
- Pathan questioned Tilak Varma’s 31 off 27 in Ahmedabad and said the surface warranted a higher scoring rate.
- Across four T20 World Cup innings, Varma has 106 runs at a strike rate of about 120, prompting form and intent concerns.
- With Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Varma batting in succession, Pathan warned opponents can fix plans and fields more easily.
- He cited how early off‑spin from part‑timers like Aryan Dutt has been used and suggested Aiden Markram could be tried similarly by South Africa.
- Pathan floated promoting Suryakumar Yadav to No. 3 and moving Varma down, while noting no official batting‑order change has been announced ahead of the Super 8s.