3 Tilak Varma knocks which prove that he will be a big player for India
Since its inception, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has helped unearth a lot of talented cricketers who have gone on to achieve higher honors in the game of cricket.
We have seen the likes of Ishan Kishan, Varun Chakravarthy, Rahul Chahar, and other players making their way into the Indian team after impressive performances in the IPL.
At present too, there are a few players who have caught the eye of pundits and fans courtesy of their brilliant showings in the tournament. One such player is Mumbai Indians' (MI) Tilak Varma, who is touted to be a future superstar.
Varma had a successful debut season for the five-time champions last year and has started his 2023 campaign well as well.
On that note, let's take a look at three of his knocks that prove that he is going to be a big player for India.
#1 84 vs RCB (IPL 2023)
The most recent innings he played against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Sunday, April 2, earned him a lot of praise from various quarters.
Tilak Varma walked into bat with MI in a spot of bother at 20/3. The situation did not faze him as he batted with a lot of conviction and authority, scoring an unbeaten 84 runs off just 46 deliveries.
His confidence also rubbed on other debutant batters like Nehal Wadhera and Arshad Khan, who chipped in with useful contributions.
At one point, it seemed like MI would struggle to get even 120 but thanks to Varma, they were able to post a score of 171 on the board.
#2 61 vs RR (IPL 2022)
In a game between the Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Mumbai in IPL 2022, the Royals posted 193 runs on the board thanks to a fine century by Jos Buttler and cameos by Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer.
During the chase, Mumbai lost two wickets for just 40 runs and were in a precarious position.
Tilak Varma, playing only his second IPL game, combined forces with Ishan Kishan to forge a partnership worth 81 runs. Tilak went on to score 61 off 33 deliveries, including three boundaries and five sixes.
MI eventually fell short of the target by 23 runs but this was the innings through which Varma announced his arrival on the big stage.
#3 34 vs CSK (IPL 2022)
In a game between the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Mumbai Indians in last year's IPL, the former could only score 97 runs in the first innings as Daniel Sams destroyed their top order, returning with figures of 3/16.
It was supposed to be a straightforward chase for the Rohit Sharma-led side but they found themselves in a terrible position at 33/4. MI lost Ishan Kishan and Rohit and there was a long tail ahead.
Tilak Varma played a sensible and mature knock to guide his side home in what was a tricky chase. He scored 34 runs off 32 deliveries but what mattered the most was that he did not panic and instead maintained his composure.
This particular knock earned him a lot of praise and rightly so. Post the game, Rohit Sharma praised the youngster, saying that Varma would be playing for India across formats very soon.