BENGALURU: At 20, Tilak Varma is more than just Mumbai Indians' find of the Indian Premier League. He plays with a straight bat. Adaptability is one of his key strengths. He knows when to showcase his array of shots and possesses a temperament which suits all formats of the game.
Two seasons old in the IPL, this year marked his coming of age. Those runs, backed by confidence, earned him an India call-up for the T20 series against West Indies next month.
On Thursday morning when he stepped out to play for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy, he carried the confidence of an India call-up. "I was confident because I was thinking that now I'm going to be a capped player," said the soft-spoken Hyderabadi here.
1/10:Hardik Pandya to lead Team India in West Indies T20Is
Getty Images
2/10:Hardik Pandya
<p>India all-rounder Hardik Pandya was named captain for five T20 internationals in the West Indies.</p>Getty Images
3/10:Top stars
<p>Top stars Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are absent from the squad.</p>Getty Images
4/10:Suryakumar Yadav
<p>Suryakumar Yadav will be Pandya's deputy in the 15-member squad, announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India on Wednesday. </p>Getty Images
5/10:From August 3
<p>The matches starting August 3 in Trinidad will be played after two Tests and three ODIs. </p>TNN
6/10:Rohit Sharma
<p>Rohit Sharma remains the captain in the five-day and 50-over formats.</p>Getty Images
7/10:T20I captain
<p>Pandya seems to be emerging as a regular choice in the shortest form of the international game. </p>Getty Images
8/10:Recent T20Is
<p>Pandya has led the team in recent T20 matches with Rohit and Kohli not playing T20Is since India's semi-final exit at the 2022 World Cup. </p>Getty Images
9/10:Yashasvi Jaiswal
<p>Yashasvi Jaiswal and Tilak Varma have earned maiden T20 call-ups after impressive Indian Premier League campaigns, while batsman Sanju Samson returns. </p>IANS
10/10:Tilak Varma
<p>Tilak Varma has performed consistently well in the IPL since last year and this time scored 343 runs in 11 games at a strike rate of 164.11.</p>Getty ImagesBut the news didn't take him by surprise. The fact that he wasn't a part of the India emerging team announced on Tuesday was an indication. "It is a big thing to be picked for India and I was thrilled. But since I wasn't a part of that U-23 team, I was hopeful of this selection," he added.
Varma outlined that his confidence stems from the time spent practicing red-ball cricket. "I've played more red-ball cricket than white-ball cricket. White-ball cricket is more about mindset, but red ball is where my skills will be tested."
Varma, who missed the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy season due to injury, did not allow the setback to hamper his self-belief. "I will always back myself in any situation. I try to have a clear mindset. Kieron Pollard (ex-Mumbai Indians teammate) always tells me to be calm and just focus on the next ball," he said.
