T20 is increasingly becoming a format where strike rates for batsmen at the top matter a lot more than before. Under such circumstances, Tilak Varma is an anomaly — he is an innings builder and not someone who dominates from ball one. He reads the situation and then turns it around in a short time. That shift — from control to acceleration — is a clear pattern in how he bats in the shortest format. The latest example was during MI’s previous match against the Gujarat Titans. The southpaw, who walked out after the sixth over with MI tottering at 44/3, did not break stride in the first half of his innings, focussing more on strike rotation to be on 19 runs in 22 balls. Then came the moment that turned the narrative. Naman Dhir, who looked good to get a bigger score, fell in the 13th over for 45 in 32 balls. His dismissal forced a change in tempo to Tilak’s innings. From 19 off 22 balls, he surged to 82 runs in his …