The calm and calculated innings that Tilak Varma played in Chennai on January 25 is earning him a lot of praise. And rightly so. He steered the 166-run chase as per his wants with little to no support from his partners. A knock that perhaps means more to him and the management than his twin hundreds against South Africa last year.
Such has been T20I success that he’s the only Indian player who averages more than 50 after scoring 500 or more runs. His 72-run knock was reminiscent of what Virat Kohli has done for more than a decade, guiding Team India to victories on his own. Former Andhra player Ambati Rayudu has showered praise on the youngster following his sensational innings.
“He is a superstar cricketer, and I have seen him grow in Hyderabad. He has played four extraordinary knocks. Since Suryakumar Yadav has become the captain, the confidence he has been given and the trust that has been shown in him, he is paying him back fully,” Rayudu said on Star Sport.
Tilak Varma into India’s Test team?
To praise him isn’t out of the ordinary. But Rayudu has gone as far as saying that Tilak Varma deserves to make his Test debut soon as well. He believes that he’s going to feature for Team India for the next decade or so and should be given a chance in red-ball cricket as well.
With two superstars, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, ageing out, now is the time to get youngsters in the team. Will it be right to get Tilak Varma in for them? That’s for the selectors to decide, but Rayudu has given his vote of confidence to the 22-year-old.
“I feel India has got a huge superstar, and he can become an all-format player. It’s not that he is only a T20 player. Considering the maturity he showed today (India vs. England 2nd T20I), he has the ability to be a match-winner for India for many years. So I feel he should be backed in every format,” he added.
Tilak Varma first-class stats
| Innings | Runs | Average | 100s | 50s | Highest Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | 1204 | 50.16 | 5 | 4 | 121 |
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