"Got selected just because he babysits captain's daughter?" - Fans react after Tilak Varma is retained in Indian ODI squad for Australia series
Team India youngster Tilak Varma received another opportunity in the ODI format ahead of the World Cup. The selectors retained him in the squad for the first two ODIs of the upcoming three-match series against Australia at home.
Tilak has performed well in domestic cricket and the Indian Premier League over the past few seasons to come into the reckoning for the national side. He earned his maiden international cricket call-up for the T20I series during the West Indies tour in August.
The southpaw impressed everyone during the series with mature knocks in the middle-order, ending up as the highest scorer for Men in Blue across five T20Is. His left-handed batting and part-time bowling ability made him an exciting prospect for the selectors and team management.
They immediately roped him into the squad for the Asia Cup 2023. However, he could not get into the World Cup squad as Suryakumar Yadav pipped him for the spot of reserve middle-order batter. Tilak made his ODI debut for India in the recently concluded Asia Cup in the match against Bangladesh. He failed to make an impact after getting out cheaply for 5 (9).
Fans expressed displeasure over his selection in the ODI series against Australia for similar reasons. They opined that Tilak is still very inexperienced in the ODI format and felt that a player like Sanju Samson deserved the spot more due to his good record in the format.
Here are some of the reactions on X (formerly Twitter) on the matter:
Team India's squads and schedule for the ODI series against Australia
Crucial players like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Kuldeep Yadav have been rested for the first two games against Australia. KL Rahul will lead the side in the absence of the regular captain and the vice-captain.
Squad for first two ODIs against Australia: KL Rahul (c & wk), Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammad Shami, Tilak Varma, Prasidh Krishna, Ravichandran Ashwin, Washington Sundar
Squad for 3rd ODI against Australia: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammad Shami, Hardik Pandya, Virat Kohli, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel (subject to fitness), Washington Sundar, Ravichandran Ashwin
Here is the complete schedule of the three-match ODI series against Australia:
1st ODI: September 22 - Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali, 1.30 PM IST
2nd ODI: September 24 - Holkar Cricket Stadium, Indore, 1.30 PM IST
3rd ODI: September 27 - Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot, 1.30 PM IST
Do you feel Tilak Varma deserves a place in the Indian ODI squad? Let us know in the comments section.