"Future of Indian Cricket"- Fans erupt as youngster Tilak Varma makes his international debut in 1st India vs West Indies T20I

Mumbai Indians batter Tilak Varma is all set to make his international debut in the first T20I against the West Indies on Thursday, August 3. India won the 3-match ODI series on Tuesday by a 2-1 margin. The two teams will now square off in the 5-match T20I series, which starts today in Trinidad.

West Indies captain Rovman Powell won the toss and opted to bat first in the contest. Team India handed T20I debuts to Tilak Varma and Mukesh Kumar, who have been performing well in domestic circuits. Mukesh already made his Test and ODI debuts last month on the same tour.

Middle-order batter Tilak Varma will be donning the Indian jersey for the first time after his sensational performances for the Mumbai Indians over the past two seasons.

Fans were highly excited to see Tilak's name in the playing XI for the first T20I against the West Indies due to his impressive track record in the IPL. They wished him well through their reactions on Twitter.

Here are some of the reactions:

Tilak Varma the future of Indian team making his International debut today. pic.twitter.com/k9yfwvO2TK

Tilak Varma is making his International cricket debut. Go well make it big my boy 💙 pic.twitter.com/ytFyi5nfds

Many congrats to our boy Tilak Varma on his T20I debut.

The lad is the future of Indian Cricket. pic.twitter.com/gyo16ZcX3j

Excited and nervous at the same time for Tilak Varma. Hope he makes this opportunity count. pic.twitter.com/mC1WN7uRxx

Go well Tilak varma!
#INDvWI pic.twitter.com/Q7OtMXxWwM

My man Tilak Varma making his international debut today. One of the new generation of player's who excites me so much to watch them play. Hope he makes it big in blues tonight. pic.twitter.com/1DHQj37ZhG

TILAK VARMA TO MAKE HIS DEBUTTT!!!!

AND WE CANT KEEP CALM!! 😬😬😬

#OneFamily #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/zqtAhZ2h1e

Time to change bio @TilakV9 😉
Blues are calling 💙
#tilakvarma pic.twitter.com/ZajiKJhjci

A world cup year and team India in not sure about middle order.

This can be a great opportunity for Tilak Varma if he does well and might play the world cup. pic.twitter.com/tmjUto46ee

Tilak Varma making his International debut today..!! 🥺💙

Prove Yourself @TilakV9 🤌 pic.twitter.com/yTZRph2Hd3

Debut for my man Tilak Varma. ❤️

Mumbai Indians has given another superstar to Indian team. You'll hear this name for a long time. pic.twitter.com/KQWFdGcjwB

Tilak Varma making his International Debut Today😍🇮🇳💙 | @TilakV9 pic.twitter.com/GRDnSletAn

Tilak Varma is ready to rule at big stage!

Long way to go, Starboy @TilakV9 💙💫 pic.twitter.com/ztlkfjDkUI

@internetumpire Usually I hate MI players..... But I like Tilak varma very much Unreal Talent #tilakvarma

Dreams do come true. Best wishes to you man. Go well
#INDvsWI #T20I #TilakVarma pic.twitter.com/E9XUZ3JcDp

Tilak Varma is the first player from calendar year 2002 to play for India.

#WIvIND #INDvWI #WIvsIND #INDvsWI

"We might be coming here in a few months to play in the T20 World Cup"- Hardik Pandya on the importance of the series

Speaking after losing the toss, Team India captain Hardik Pandya shed light on the importance of the T20I series.

He stated that it gives them a chance to gauge the conditions and offer some exposure to young players, as the World Cup will happen in this region next year.

Pandya said:

"We might be coming here in a few months to play in the T20 World Cup, so this series gives us a good chance to be prepared. A lot of the players we have now might be a part of that team, so it will give them the experience to play in these conditions.

He added:

"I try to keep things simple (as a captain). I am not bothered much by results; I try to focus more on the process. We try to identify things that we can do as a group and work on that. We are playing three spinners."

India Playing XI

Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Mukesh Kumar

West Indies Playing XI

Kyle Mayers, Brandon King, Johnson Charles(w), Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell(c), Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoy