Watch: Tilak Varma pays homage to MS Dhoni en route Chennai

Tilak Varma and MS Dhoni. (Photo Source: Twitter/X)

After comprehensively winning the first T20I against England in Kolkata, Team India departed to Chennai to play the second game in the five-match series. The iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium is going to host the second T20I on Saturday, January 25.

On Friday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) uploaded a video on their social media handles, covering the Indian team’s trip from Kolkata to Chennai. Tilak Varma spoke to the cameraman during the video and said that whenever he hears Chennai, the thought of MS Dhoni comes to his mind. The legendary cricketer has led Chennai Super Kings to five Indian Premier League titles over the years. Apart from Dhoni, Tilak said that he is also reminded of iconic movie star Rajinikanth when he thinks about Chennai.

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The Indian players looked in great spirits after taking a 1-0 lead in the five-match series against the Three Lions. Fans, who were lucky enough to watch the team at the airport, didn’t miss the opportunity to take pictures.

Will Mohammed Shami play the second T20I?

Suryakumar Yadav made an interesting announcement at the toss ahead of the first T20I as he named Mohammed Shami as one of the four players to miss out. The 34-year-old has put in the hard yards in domestic cricket and was set to make his first international appearance since the 2023 ODI World Cup final against Australia. However, India opted to go in with three spinners and this meant that Shami’s much-awaited comeback got delayed further.

The move to pick three spinners paid dividends for India as they managed to bamboozle the English batters with their skills. MA Chidambaram Stadium is known to assist the spinners and India might not want to make changes for this match. However, Shami could be picked if India decide to give Arshdeep Singh a breather.