Tilak Varma’s impressive entry into his India cricket journey continues with a series of strong performances in the ongoing five-match T20I contest against West Indies. The young player marked his debut last week with a score of 39, followed by his maiden half-century in the next match. Although both of these innings were during losses, his third outing contributed significantly to a commanding victory, where he remained unbeaten at 49.
In the previous year, Tilak first caught the spotlight during the IPL when he scored an impressive 397 runs in 14 innings for Mumbai Indians in his debut season. This success was mirrored earlier this year, earning him a call-up for the Windies tour. A familiar partner from the IPL, Suryakumar Yadav, joined forces with Tilak on Tuesday, forging a decisive partnership of 87 runs for India, which helped keep their series hopes alive.
Commenting on Tilak’s progress, Suryakumar Yadav shared his admiration, stating, “For his age, Tilak Varma is showing amazing maturity… The way he batted today, he has done this in IPL too. And in just his third game showing such maturity, all credit goes to his hard work. Tilak Varma is a star.”
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Suryakumar Yadav went on to emphasize Tilak’s mental clarity and strength as key qualities, explaining, “He’s very clear in his mind… he knows his game very well, what he wants to do after coming to bat. Mentally, he’s very strong – that’s the most important you need when you come into the Indian dressing room. He’s come strong.”
In the same match, Suryakumar Yadav himself delivered a spectacular performance with the bat, smashing an impressive 83 off 44 balls, including 10 fours and four sixes.
Reflecting on his own approach, Suryakumar Yadav noted, “I didn’t do anything different… I just had to go out and express myself as I have done before and everything kept falling in place.” Remaining grounded about his personal milestones, he expressed, “Milestones never cross my mind… I am not bothered about milestones, what the team requires is more important.”
India, despite being the top-ranked T20I team globally, faced tough challenges from the West Indies, suffering narrow defeats in the initial two matches after their dominant performance in the Tests and ODIs.
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Addressing this shift, Suryakumar Yadav emphasized the team’s united determination, stating, “We all wanted to show our character today, take responsibility and win the game for our team… It was great fun.”
With this spirit, India continues to strive for success in the T20I series against the West Indies, remaining determined to showcase their prowess on the field.