Tilak Varma reacts to Rohit Sharma’s ‘he can be India’s all-format player’ remark
Five-time Indian T20 League champions, Mumbai endured a disastrous campaign in the 2022 season which was entirely held in India. The team was eliminated from the race to the playoffs early on in the tournament after suffering eight straight defeats.
While there were some positives during the campaign, the team were unable to win in matches due to an inconsistent run. Among the ups and downs during the season, one player, who was consistent in terms of scoring runs for the team was Tilak Varma.
The former India U-19 player was the find of the tournament. He scored runs during crucial phases of the matches. Mumbai skipper, Rohit Sharma had special praise for the player after he steered Mumbai to victory in a low-scoring encounter against Chennai Super Kings that took place during the 2022 edition.
Rohit Sharma had wonderful words to say on Tilak Varma
While speaking to Star Sports, Rohit Sharma said “He’s been brilliant playing for the first year. Having such a calm head is never easy and in my opinion, I feel he’s going to be an all-format player for India pretty soon. He’s got the technique, he’s got the temperament, which is the most important thing when you play at the highest level”.
He further added “So, I think a lot of things are looking bright for him and there is hunger. When you speak to him, there’s hunger to do well and finish games and have some success as well. I think he’s on the right path; he just needs to keep growing and see how he can improve and get better as a player.”
In Indian T20 League 2022, Tilak Varma has amassed 368 runs in 12 innings – the most by a teen player in an Indian T20 League season, breaking Rishabh Pant’s record of 366 runs in 2017. Tilak Varma scored all of his runs in the middle order while playing for the Mumbai side and him being a left handed batter will give him an added advantage. He is one player to watch out in the near future.
Tilak has now opened up on Rohit’s remark, insisting that he has had chat with the Mumbai skipper on the same after the end of the season.
“Yes, I has had a personal chat with Rohit bhai after that. We talked about how I can improve on my batting. I always think about how I can make my team win matches, personal achievement is secondary. So, this time, I was playing good although I couldn’t finish in some matches. So, Rohit bhai and I had a conversation on that as well. He told me to back my strengths. We also had a talk about skills,” Tilak told News24.
Tilak plays for Andhra Pradesh in the domestic circuit; the 19-year-old boasts of an average of 52.26 in 16 List A games, and has scored at a strike rate of 136.97 in 29 T20s for the state side.
