Tilak Varma does not take long to finish off his batting during India A’s net session at the Anantapur Cricket Ground on Tuesday. He then quickly saunters away to the bench before reappearing with a ball in hand.
“Since this Indian Premier League (IPL) season, and from last year in general, I have been working on my bowling a lot,” Tilak admits at the end of practice.
He is happy to stand in queue at the second strip, allowing the academy players their turn to relish the moment of bowling to a First-Class player. It is Shams Mulani in this case, the recent addition to the side for the second and third round of fixtures.
The routine carries on when Tanush Kotian comes in for a knock. The academy players are soon done. Tilak is not. He is even gracious enough to deliver half-volleys upon Kotian’s request to practise slogs before calling it a day. It is at his teammate’s insistence that the session is closed; Tilak, otherwise, has no qualms rolling his arm over for a few more deliveries.
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“Especially with the red ball, I am focusing a lot on my game as an all-rounder. If I perform well in the longest format, it’s very easy to go and deliver with the white ball, so that’s why I’m bowling a lot nowadays,” Tilak explains.
Plaudits have already come Tilak’s way courtesy of an early start in the IPL with Mumbai Indians (MI). He debuted during the 2022 season and in 38 matches, he averages close to 40 with a strike rate just below 150. His captain calling him India’s next all-format player only elevated his status and segregated him to a higher rung among the next crop of players.
“Having such a calm head is never easy, and in my opinion, I feel he’s going to be an all-format player for India pretty soon. He’s got the technique; he’s got the temperament, which is the most important thing when you play at the highest level. When you speak to him, there’s hunger to do well and finish games. I think he’s on the right path; he just needs to keep growing and see how he can improve and get better as a player,” Rohit Sharma, the former MI captain, said in an interview with the official IPL broadcaster in 2022.
The India call-up came soon after. Tilak played his first T20I against West Indies in Tarouba in August 2023 before getting a chance in One-Day Internationals against Sri Lanka a month later. Today, he has 16 T20I caps, and with Rohit and Virat Kohli having paved the way for the next batch to take over, Tilak is likely to remain in the mix in the shortest format.
“If you see international cricket, the pace of cricket is slightly higher, slightly faster. So, you need to adapt quickly there. You won’t get many chances to settle in.” | Photo Credit: Getty Images
“With the Indian team, if you see international cricket, the pace of cricket is slightly higher, slightly faster. So, you need to adapt quickly there. You won’t get many chances to settle in. It will be slightly faster there. So, I learned that you should adapt as soon as possible. The bowlers and batsmen there are quite mature. They’ve got a lot of experience, and you need to adjust to that, the situation and play accordingly,” Tilak says on his learnings from international cricket.
Tilak, though, is candid in admitting that somewhere in his early grind, he missed out on turning his attention to First-Class cricket. He made his debut for Hyderabad in 2019 but has only 16 First-Class games under his belt. It is a blemish Tilak is keen to wipe out, beginning with the coming season.
“For Hyderabad, I have not been playing a lot in red-ball cricket, to be honest. So, from last year, I have become a regular for Hyderabad. It was unfortunate we were in the plate division. It is good to be back in the league again. The ultimate goal for me is, obviously, winning the Ranji Trophy, but I know it’s still far away from happening. Right now, we are just focusing on the qualification [to the knockouts], and after that, we’ll plan one by one according to the game at hand,” Tilak says.
Even last season, Tilak missed three of Hyderabad’s seven games in the Ranji Trophy plate division. His 412 runs in five essays, including three hundreds, are telling of his hunger, but Tilak will need endeavour to replicate the haul against the sterner tests that await in the league stage.
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In the Duleep Trophy, hence, came the perfect opportunity to prepare for the upcoming Ranji Trophy, which kicks off on October 11. If he wants to bowl for his team’s cause later this season, Tilak has picked the right time to begin.
However, with the India frontliners in the squad, hoping to prepare for the series against Bangladesh, Tilak could not get into the starting eleven. He does not mince words in calling the Duleep Trophy a high-stakes trial for the Indian team. Even here, like at the nets on Tuesday, he understands that he needs to wait in the queue, for now at least.
“For every player, it’s a selection match. Duleep Trophy is a big tournament. But ultimately, you are a part of a team; we always play for everyone on the team,” Tilak says.
Now that Shubman Gill, Dhruv Jurel, and KL Rahul are off on national team duty, Tilak will be in with a shot for a spot, beginning with India A’s second game against India D starting on Thursday.
“Whatever the situation needs, we just need to bat according to that, and we always want to win the match for our team. If you play for the team and win the matches, there is always a place open in the [Indian] team. So, that’s where I focus, and whatever match I play, I just want to win. So, if I do well here, I think automatically I will reach the ultimate goal,” Tilak says.
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