Tilak Varma earned his maiden India call-up as he was included in the Men in Blue’s 15-member squad for the upcoming five-match T20I series against West Indies.
Varma revealed that he wasn’t thinking about finding a place in the Indian team for the series. The left-handed batter was informed about his selection by a childhood friend.
The talented youngster also mentioned that his parents were very emotional following the announcement. Varma was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo:
“I was not thinking about the national side. My mom and dad were crying on video call yesterday; they were very emotional. My childhood friend called me [saying] you have got selected. That was the time – around 8 o’clock [pm] – that I knew I was selected.”
Varma is currently representing South Zone in the ongoing Duldeep Trophy 2023. The southpaw delivered a gutsy 46-run knock in the first innings of the second semi-final against North Zone in Bengaluru.
Tilak Varma impressed many with his batting exploits in IPL 2023
Tilak Varma was one of the top performers with the bat for Mumbai Indians (MI) in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL 2023), mustering 343 runs from 11 outings at an average of 42.87.
The 20-year-old missed five league matches due to an injury. He returned to the MI side for the crucial playoff encounters, scoring 26 and 43 in Eliminator and Qualifier 2, respectively.
Varma received appreciation from all quarters for his performances this season. He now has an opportunity to carve a niche for himself in India’s star-studded T20I team by scoring big runs against West Indies.
The five-match T20I series between India and West Indies is scheduled to kick off at the Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad, on August 3.
India’s squad for West Indies T20Is
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.