Not many are aware that Tilak Varma, the No. 3 India batter who smashed his second consecutive T20 international century against South Africa on Friday night, was on a dual mission: to help India’s cause, and score one hundred for his ‘Sir’ - coach Salam Bayash.
Bayash was always the butt of ridicule by many when he took under his tutelage a 11-year-old Tilak when he spotted a spark in the young cricketer. But he simply brushed aside the discouraging comments by friends and relatives and believed in his gifted trainee at his own Legala Cricket Academy in Lingampally here. And now he is one of the happiest persons around when Tilak smashed his sensational second T20I hundred on Friday night.
It is an amazing story of a coach who runs a relatively obscure cricket academy with Tilak being the only biggest star to emerge, the other big name being Trisha Poojitha from his Academy which has no ‘influence’ in the Hyderabad Cricket Association at all.
“Tilak makes it a point to call me before and after any big match. And, when he called before the second T20I, my CEO Prithvi Reddy who was with me, told Tilak that the first century he scored was for himself and that he should score another one for his coach,” Bayash recalled in a chat with Sportstar on Saturday.
“Yes, when he called me after the second hundred again, Tilak told me that he was also thinking of scoring a century for me,” Bayash revealed. “I am really glad that he scored such a brilliant century. Definitely, these two big centuries should be a turning point of his career,” the proud coach added.
FILE PHOTO: Tilak Varma with Salam Bayash and Legala Cricket Academy CEO Prithvi Reddy. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Interestingly, Tilak practised at the Legala Academy under Bayash for four days on cement tracks to fine-tune the cut and pull strokes. “We put in a lot of effort and Tilak really worked hard on those two strokes and it was pretty evident by the way he played them with such ease during the two centuries,” the coach said.
“My only advice to Tilak was to grab any opportunity to score big at any given slot in the batting order. I told him 30s and 40s are for others, you have to score big hundreds. And he didn’t disappoint me,” a delighted Bayash said.
“Honestly, I just wanted to see Tilak achieve what I couldn’t as a cricketer. Always prayed that given the kind of hard work he puts in, he should be a successful cricketer,” the delighted coach signed off.
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