On Wednesday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India announced the Indian team for the five-match T20I series against West Indies. The 20-year-old Tilak Varma earned his maiden call-up by the BCCI for the upcoming T20I series against West Indies. He was rewarded for his brilliant performances for Mumbai Indians in the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League.
Ironically, the man of the moment had to hear the great news from a childhood friend as his phone was switched off because he was playing in the Duleep Trophy semifinals for South Zone.
Tilak Varma revealed:
“I was playing in the Duleep Trophy (hence the mobile was switched off). Later my childhood friend called me and said you are selected, and that is when I came to know about it…around 8’o clock in the night,”
Tilak expressed gratitude towards his IPL franchise Mumbai Indians for preparing him for the moment of his life. Tilak said that playing for Mumbai Indians in the IPL has helped him prepare for the big moment in his life. He said:
“I will always back myself in any situation. I try to be clear in my mindset because Kieron Pollard was the main guy who used to do the job for us in that situation (death overs). He always tells me to be calm and just focus on the next ball. So, I just back myself each time I entered and the results worked,”
Further, he also revealed the reaction of his parents, who weren’t able to contain their feelings. Varma revealed that he made a video call to his parents after receiving the big news and they were left in tears. He said:
“My mom and dad were literally crying yesterday. I made a video call to them and they were very emotional. My coach (Salam Bayash) also had the same reaction. He also became very emotional,”
India squad for T20I series against West Indies
Ishan Kishan (wk), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (VC), Sanju Samson (wk), Hardik Pandya (C), Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Umran Malik, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar
