Young Indian batter Tilak Varma has impressed one and all with his powerful batting performances for the Indian cricket team. He has been the only positive thing for India in its forgettable T20I tour of the West Indies. On the sluggish conditions in West Indies, Varma stole the show with his stunning performances with the bat.
In the four innings for team India, he scored 173 runs which included a half-century knock and an unbeaten 49. Varma’s tally is also the second-highest for any Indian batter in their first five appearances in the format. He missed out on the record by just seven runs.
In fact, riding on his remarkable performances, Tilak Varma has now made it to the ICC rankings. On Wednesday, the latest T20I players’ rankings were released, wherein Tilak found himself in the 46th spot with 503 rating points. Tilak is already ahead of the likes of Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, and captain Hardik Pandya.
BCCI’s Verdict On Tilak Varma’s ODI World Cup 2023 Chances
Following his impressive performance in the recently-concluded series, there have been calls for his inclusion in the Indian squad for the ODI World Cup 2023. Several experts and cricketers have extended their support to the young batter for the upcoming marquee tournament.
In fact, India’s star spinner Ravichandran Ashwin also made a request to the BCCI to consider him for the ODI World Cup.
The calls were so loud that the Indian captain Rohit Sharma had to address the issue pertaining to the rising calls for selection.
“He looks very promising. I have seen him for two years now, he has got the hunger, and that is the most important thing. In him I can see, for the age that he is of, he is quite matured. He knows his batting so well. When I speak with him I understand that the boy knows his batting – where he has to hit, what he has to do in that period,” said Rohit.
“That is all that I will say about him, I do not know about the World Cup and all, but definitely the guy is talented and he showed it in these few games that he has played for India,” he added.
Now after the captain, the BCCI also disclosed their verdict on Tilak on Monday. Speaking to PTI on Monday, a BCCI source revealed that Tilak has made a huge impression on the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee with his terrific show against West Indies. The BCCI source said:
“Yes, he has started well and he will surely play ODIs in future. But what if he is pushed too quickly and it turns out to be counter-productive. You can’t play with young careers. Yes, he could be discussed but only if both Iyer and Rahul are ruled out,”
