Tilak Varma: Knocked on Suryakumar Yadav’s door at Gqeberha and expressed his wish to be promoted in the batting order. Varma batted at No. 4 in the series’ first two Twenty20 Internationals and scored an 18-ball 33 and a run-a-ball 20. Opportunities to make a lasting impression are hard to come by in the competition for spots in the Indian T20 team, especially as the IPL consistently produces new and amazing talent.
The exceptionally gifted Varma, who is only 22, has already experienced some of the uncertainty and rivalry inside the ranks. He had to miss T20I matches in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe due to two consecutive hand injuries. He didn’t get any playing time, even during the home series against Bangladesh, and was only brought in as a late substitute for the injured Shivam Dube.
Tilak Varma’s Rise:
“Express yourself” is a straightforward, if clichéd, statement that Captain Suryakumar gave up his No. 3 position to the young player. Varma fulfilled his promise by being one of just five players to register consecutive hundreds in Twenty20 Internationals. The second of those hundreds came on Friday, November 15, when India dominated 283/1 and won the series 3-1.
Suryakumar praised Varma’s “incredible” double-act on the Highveld and expressed the hope that this success would carry over to other forms. He even alluded to Virat Kohli, who dominated the No. 3 spot in white-ball cricket for almost ten years.
“This was the ideal scenario, the ideal chance for a young man, and definitely someone like him, displaying a lot of promise… ‘I think it’s the perfect time for someone like you to bat at number three, take that responsibility, not only now, but going forward as well,’ I said to him. One man had previously batted consistently at number three and done wonders for India.
“And he simply lived up to his words. I mean, his batting performance at Supersport Park and today was amazing, and I hope he keeps doing the same things for India in all formats, not just T20 cricket.”
After playing T20 as a condensed form of ODIs for a long time, Varma’s achievement of these two hundreds at strike-rates of 191.07 and 255.32, respectively, was also consistent with the overall story of India’s transition in 2024. India has won 24 of the 26 Twenty20 Internationals this year thanks to their updated strategy. During this run, they have amassed incredible totals of 297 and 283, as well as a second T20 World Cup victory earlier in the year.
We participated in a few Twenty20 competitions prior to the World Cup, and we discussed the brand and style of cricket we wanted to play in the future,” Suryakumar stated. We play for different teams in the IPL, but when we get together, I believe we wanted to do the same thing, play a different style of cricket, and be on the same page. After the T20 World Cup, we simply continued doing the same things we had been doing there, so why change if it’s working so well?
Varma and India will face obstacles along the way in a format that is changing quickly. When players like Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are available for selection, there will be internal selection calls for the captain. When he arrives, Suryakumar intends to cross that bridge. I prefer to live in the now, so I haven’t given it much consideration yet. I’ll try to appreciate today’s victory because it’s a unique series win, he said.
When those players [Jaiswal, Gill] arrive, we’ll sit down and discuss it. It will be challenging, but it’s a good headache to have going forward if you have 20–25 people and you have to form a team of 10–15. It’s a good challenge and it’s good for every team; it feels good to see this. Many people, including team management, selectors, and the BCCI, will be present, and we’ll talk to them to get rid of that headache.
