‘Rubbing shoulders with cricketing legends taught me a lot’
HYDERABAD’S TILAK VARMA TALKS ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE OF PLAYING FOR THE MUMBAI INDIANS FRANCHISE IN HIS MAIDEN IPL SEASON
“Tilak Varma has all the makings of a cricketer who can play for Team India,” said Mumbai Indians (MI) captain Rohit Sharma, during a recent Indian Premier League (IPL) press conference. Former Team India captain Ravi Shastri commented, “Tilak will be a long-timer with Mumbai Indians.” Another former captain, Sunil Gavaskar too lauded the young player, saying, “Tilak’s temperament has been fantastic, and he may play for Team India soon.”
That’s what the Hyderabad youngster dreams of.
Although the MI campaign in the ongoing IPL ended on a bitter note, Tilak Varma was a revelation — the 19-year-old scored around 400 runs (including two half-centuries), becoming the second-highest run getter for the team. Given that it’s his maiden IPL stint, it was a dream run.
“MI selected me in January this year, and I am glad that I have lived up to the expectations,” he says.
“I would have been happier had MI qualified for the play offs,” Tilak says. But he’s happy that he got such a fantastic exposure during the tournament.
But did he expect that he would be one of the star performers for the franchise?
“Certainly not,” he replies with a smile.
“When I started my campaign, I wanted to focus on the basics. I wanted to contribute to the best of my ability and
win matches for the team,” he says,
adding that his focus was on how to adapt to the changing conditions.
Tilak, who was part of India U-19 World Cup team in 2020,
reveals
that the dressing room atmosphere was electrifying. Rubbing shoulders with legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma was a highpoint for the lad. One of his biggest takeaways from the tournament was to stay positive under any circumstances. Sachin and Rohit constantly kept telling him never to lose hope or give up.
“Be your natural self, that’s the only way to handle pressure’, Rohit Bhayya said. Sachin Sir also asked me to stay focused and believe in myself,” he shares. “Rohit Bhayya told me to always live in the present. Sachin Sir too gave me tips on how
t o quickly adapt to changing conditions. We also had conversations about fitness and diet,” he adds.
“The dugout was always filled with positivity. I learnt a lot from the seniors; interacting and having conversations about the game with world class players was great. I have learnt how to adapt to conditions, and cut down minor errors and worked on my batting too,” says Tilak, who recently completed his plus two.
Apparently, he was initially nervous about talking with Rohit and Sachin. But during the team meetings the two put him
at his ease, and encouraged him to express his views.
“Sachin Sir gave me life lessons — he asked me to first get all the
fitness routines right. He wanted me to be disciplined first as that makes the mind positive,” the IPL newbie says.
“I wanted to up my game. Rohit Bhayya asked me to work on my bowling and be an all-rounder, so that I can bowl my full quota of four overs and the team can have an extra batsman too — that way I have better chances of playing for India,” says the spirited youngster, who says playing for his country in the U-19 team gave him a great deal of satisfaction.
Tilak wants to treasure this IPL experience, and leverage it while playing for Hyderabad in the coming domestic season.
Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina has been his inspiration from childhood. Tilak aspires to be a left-handed batsman who bowls spin, like Raina. “I spoke to Suresh Bhayya after one of my IPL matches recently. He encouraged me a lot and shared a few tips,” beams Tilak.
The youngster thanks his coach Salam Bayash for his support.
Be your natural self, that’s the only way to handle pressure’, Rohit Bhayya said. Sachin Sir also asked me to stay focused and believe in myself,” he shares. “Rohit Bhayya told me to always live in the present. Sachin Sir too gave me tips on how to quickly adapt to changing conditions. We also had conversations about fitness and diet —Tilak Varma, who played for Mumbai Indians