‘Tough, but no excuses’: Ishan, Tilak on going from Duleep final to Afghanistan T20Is

By Army jaat

🏏 *Duleep Final to Afghanistan T20Is—No Excuses, Just Adapters!* 🏏 Namaste, cricket family! Just as a dancer shifts from a slow, graceful *varam* to a blazing *thatt*—same body, completely different rhythm—so do Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma brace for a format switch that's nothing short of a choreographic challenge! 💃 Here's the situation: These two are set to captain East Zone and South Zone in the **Duleep Trophy final** (Chennai, Sun–Sept 10). Then, just three days later, they jet off to New Delhi to lead India in the 3-match T20I series vs Afghanistan. Only ~2 days to recover, travel, and reset the mind! **The players speak:** Kishan put it beautifully—knowing the format and role is everything. "It gets difficult when you're hitting from ball one in white-ball cricket, then suddenly back to a totally different role in domestic cricket," he said. But both are firm: *"As professionals, it is our job to adapt. We cannot make excuses."* 🙌 Tilak, South Zone captain & India's vice-captain, agrees—calling the switch "slightly challenging" but confident that practice time in Delhi will be "more than enough." **Extra firepower for South Zone!** 🔥 Devdutt Padikkal joins the squad after a stellar Sri Lanka Test series—**328 runs in 3 innings, two centuries, Player of the Series!** Tilak confirms he'll bat at #3 and believes his form is a "big boost" for the young batting lineup. Smart scheduling, sharp mindsets, and no excuses—that's the professional way! What do you all think about this format-hopping marathon? 🤔 #CricketNews #DuleepTrophy #TeamIndia #IshanKishan #TilakVarma Source: Times of India