"I would work overtime, just so that we could afford to buy his cricket equipment" - Tilak Varma's father
Mumbai Indians' (MI) young middle-order batter Tilak Varma has received appreciation from all quarters for his exploits with the bat in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2022).
Given his family's financial difficulties, the talented cricketer's path to success has not been an easy one.
In a video shared by MI on social media, Tilak's father Namboori Nagaraju mentioned that he found it very difficult to cover the cost of his son's cricketing equipment. He pointed out that the family could not afford the bats that the youngster wanted to purchase at the time.
He said:
"We would be extremely busy as I would be working from morning to late night. I would work overtime, just so that we could afford to buy his cricket equipment. Sometimes, he would ask for a bat that would cost ₹5000. I had to say no, since we did not have that kind of money. I'd ask him to get a bat that's worth ₹1000 instead. He would adjust and manage with it."
Tilak Varma, who was a part of India's squad for the 2020 Under-19 World Cup, failed to make a significant impact during the competition. However, his consistent performances in domestic cricket ultimately fetched him an IPL contract with MI this year.
The dynamic left-hander had set his base price at ₹20 lakh for the IPL 2022 mega auction. While many IPL teams did express interest in signing the batter, it was the Mumbai-based franchise who acquired his services for ₹1.70 crore.
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"It was difficult for him to afford a bat or any other cricket gear" - Tilak Varma's childhood coach
Speaking in the video, Varma's childhood coach Salam Bayash stated that the player was unable to afford bats and cricket gear during his younger days. Seeing his financial situation, Bayash added that he would offer to sponsor bats if the southpaw was successful in meeting set targets during tournaments.
He stated:
"It was difficult for him to afford a bat or any other cricket gear. Upon seeing this, I decided to give him targets. Do well in the upcoming tournament, score a couple of centuries and I will sponsor your bat."
Congratulations to Tilak Varma for scoring 203* runs for Gemini Friends Team in 3day match against mp colts
Shaik Ilyas Zubaidi bhai &
Mirza Aleem bhai Congratulates & Blessed Him For His Good Performance https://t.co/5AYz6X2a0l
Tilak Varma highlighted that while he once struggled to purchase a single bat of his choice, he now feels very proud when he receives multiple bats.
He also recalled that his coach had once gifted him a bat when he was set to play an Under-19 game. The southpaw went on to slam his maiden hundred with the same willow.
He said:
"I was playing an U-19 match and I was around 11-12 years old at the time. Sir gifted me a one of Ilyas bhai's bats. I scored my first hundred using the same bat. Now, I'm getting 5-6 bats, so it's a proud moment for me."
MI are still in search of their maiden win in this year's cash-rich league. They have had a dismal campaign so far, losing eight successive games. However, Varma has emerged as a promising prospect for them and has repaid their faith with his inspiring knocks.
With 272 runs from eight matches, Tilak Varma is currently the leading run-scorer for MI this year. He has two half-centuries to his name in IPL 2022 and has an impressive batting average of 45.33.