India’s latest debutant Tilak Varma made a stunning impression with the bat as he scored a quickfire 39 off 22 balls in the first T20I against West Indies on Thursday. The 20-year-old, who was handed his maiden India cap by captain Hardik Pandya, smashed the first ball of his innings for a six to start his international career.
Varma, who plays for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, hit two fours and three sixes in his knock and showed no signs of nerves on the big stage. He came in to bat at No. 4 when India were three down in their chase of 150 and scored quickly to ease the pressure. He got dismissed in 11th over by Romario Shepherd.
Varma’s fearless knock impressed the cricket fans, who took to social media to praise the youngster.
Memorable debut for Tilak Varma
Varma was not only impressive with the bat but also with his fielding. He took a stunning catch at deep mid-wicket to dismiss Johnson Charles off Kuldeep Yadav’s bowling. He also effected a run-out of Rovman Powell, who was West Indies’ top-scorer with 48 runs.
Check out some reactions:
Varma, who hails from Hyderabad, has had a remarkable journey from playing in the U-19 World Cup in 2020 to making his India debut in 2023. He has been a consistent performer in the domestic circuit and the IPL, where he has scored over 700 runs in two seasons for Mumbai Indians.
Varma is one of the many youngsters who have been given a chance by India in the T20I series against West Indies, keeping in mind the T20 World Cup 2024, which will be held in the Caribbean and the USA.
Follow InsideSport on GOOGLE NEWS / Follow IND vs WI 2023 Live Updates with InsideSport.IN.