West Indies vs India 2023

‘Ye dialogue sun sun ke pakke gaye hai’ – Fans react to Tilak Varma’s ‘I never think about personal milestones’ remark ahead of IND vs IRE T20I series

Varma struck his maiden T20I half-century in the second match and had a chance to smash one more in the following match if Hardik Pandya did not finish the game with a six.

Aug 18, 2023 5:54 pm

The young sensation of Indian cricket Tilak Varma announced his arrival in international cricket with a bang. The southpaw impressed everyone with his consistent performances for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and followed it up with Team India in his debut T20I series against West Indies. In the recently concluded five-match series, he scored 173 runs from five matches at an average of 57.66 and a strike rate of 140.65.

Varma’s stellar performance was one of the major positives for Team India in their embarrassing 3-2 loss to Windies. While the rest of the batters struggled to find runs, the 20-year-old played sensibly without showing the nervousness of a debutant and proved himself to be a player to watch out for in all formats of the game.

Varma struck his maiden T20I half-century in the second match and had a chance to smash one more in the following match if Hardik Pandya did not finish the game with a six. The India skipper faced a barrage of criticism for not letting Varma, who was batting at 49*, complete his successive fifty. Meanwhile, giving an interview with JioCinema ahead of the T20I series against Ireland, the middle-order batter said that he never thinks about his personal milestones.

Although reports did not mention in what contest the Hyderabad-born cricketer made the remark, it was an indirect reference to the controversy surrounding his unbeaten 49 at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on August 8. “I never think about my personal milestones. I just want to do whatever is good for the team,” Varma was quoted as saying.

It has been my dream to play World Cup: Varma

His impressive performances have also prompted former cricketers to suggest his name for the upcoming World Cup. With the premier 50-over tournament fast approaching, India are in a rush to sort out their middle-order woes as some key players have yet to recover from injuries. In a recent interview with JioCinema, Varma said that it is his dream to represent India in the World Cup.

“Never think about the future but it has been my dream to play World Cup. I always think every day, always imagine myself as playing World Cup and winning the World Cup for the Indian team. So that’s what makes it easier for me in these types of matches. It is one of my dreams right from my childhood,” he said.

Here’s how fans reacted to Tilak Varma’s statement:

This is an absolutely jerky statement by him, team win has to be the priority but you can never get settled in the team without setting milestones

— Nayan Jain (@jainnayann) August 18, 2023

I really wish MI retains him forever. If he goes to some other franchise other than CSK or MI, he will be ruined.

— Vigneshwaran (@Vignesh_tweeets) August 18, 2023