For Tilak Varma, it was a 40-kilometre journey from his house to his cricket academy every day.
Sunil Gavaskar echoed on Cricket Live: “Rohit rightly mentioned that he could be an all-format player for India.
This IPL season is a perfect example of how Tilak has shown a consistent performance, maintaining his excellence in his skills as a batter.
He told reporters he visualised World Cup finals every night before sleeping.
I stayed in the zone, focused on winning matches, and reacted to the situations when I returned,” he had said.
How far is too far for a 19-year-old boy to travel for his dream? For Tilak Varma, it was a 40-kilometre journey from his house to his cricket academy every day. Today, that boy is the same man the Mumbai Indians look up to, tagging him as the “starboy” for successfully attempting to carry the legacy of the team.
“He’s got the technique and temperament. I feel he’s going to be an all-format player for India pretty soon,” then MI captain told the host broadcaster after the win against CSK in 2022.
Sunil Gavaskar echoed on Cricket Live: “Rohit rightly mentioned that he could be an all-format player for India. It’s up to him to prove Rohit right.”
Watching him at the crease in under-pressure situations, the controlled left-handed batting in the middle order with no powerplay relief proves why Rohit and Gavaskar were so impressed.
This IPL season is a perfect example of how Tilak has shown a consistent performance, maintaining his excellence in his skills as a batter. A tally of 336 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 162. A beautiful century of 101 not out off 45 balls against the Gujarat Titans. An unbeaten 75 against the Punjab Kings chasing 201. An intelligent 57 against RCB from 28 for 3.
In T20 internationals, Tilak has amassed 1,289 runs across 44 matches at an average of 46.03, showing his ability to handle all levels of pressure in the game.
But the hard numbers only tell half the story; the other half talks about the struggle he went through twice with serious injuries in the past.
After the 2024 IPL, freak hand injuries ruled him out of the international summer, though he rebounded with a Duleep Trophy century. And the second time in the Vijay Hazare Trophy against Bengal; severe testicular torsion required immediate surgery, sidelining him from the first three T20Is against New Zealand.
And then the 23-year-old player came back and spoke to reporters at the pre-match conference ahead of India’s World Cup fixture against Namibia. He told reporters he visualised World Cup finals every night before sleeping. “I didn’t feel like I was out of the game because of injury. I stayed in the zone, focused on winning matches, and reacted to the situations when I returned,” he had said.
Tilak is someone on whom India and MI can bank on.
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