'If it was delayed even a few hours, it would have...': Tilak Varma's emotional revelation on his near-death experience ahead of Australia series

India's young batter Tilak Varma revealed an unknown incident where he was diagnosed with a condition called Rhabdomyolysis, where he said that his muscles broke down due to the lack of rest and overstraining himself. Varma was India's Asia Cup 2025 final hero.

Tilak Varma's massive revelation

While chasing a target of 147 against Pakistan in the title clash on September 28, India were reduced to 20/3. However, the 22-year-old remained calm and played the best innings of his career so far, slamming 69* off 53 balls to take India to victory. The young batter who will now be seen in action in the upcoming five-match T20I series also expressed how he wanted to be the fittest player in the world and an excellent fielder, due to which he did not focus on recovery.

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“After the first IPL, I had some problems with my health. I haven’t told this anywhere before. I was diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis, a condition where muscles break down. At that time I wanted to be in the Test team and I was also playing domestic. I was also playing India A plus there were also camps. The rest days in between, I was doing gym. Because I wanted to be the fittest player in the World Cup, wanted to be the fastest and best fielder. These were in my mind so I didn’t take care of my recovery. Even if you take ice baths and was sleeping as well, but the body did not recover. It needs rest for proper recovery. So I was pushing myself on rest days as well. So my muscles got overstrained and they broke down,” Varma said on the ‘Breakfast with Champions’ show on YouTube.

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Tilak Varma thanked BCCI

Tilak Varma also thanked Akash Ambani for speaking to the BCCI for the help, revealing that if it was delayed for even a few hours, it could be dangerous.

“What happened here is that my nerves and everything went hard. So at that time Mumbai Indians were beside me. I was playing in the India A series vs Bangladesh. I played 100 balls and my eyes started watering. I couldn’t lift the bat. Even my fingers weren’t moving. My nerves went tight, everything was hardened. It was like stone. So I retired hurt and I came out. My gloves had to be cut because I couldn’t move my fingers. I got a call from Akash bhai (Akash Ambani). He talked to BCCI and they helped a lot. I went to the hospital straight away and they said that if it was delayed even a few hours, it would have been pretty dangerous. The IV needles were not going in and was breaking. My mother was with me in the hospital. She used to feed me. I am thankful to god that I came back from this,” he added.

What is Rhabdomyolysis?

Rhabdomyolysis is a serious medical condition that happens when your muscles break down too much and release a protein called myoglobin into the blood. This can damage the kidneys and cause other health problems. It usually occurs because of extreme exercise, injury, dehydration, or overstrain. Common symptoms include muscle pain, weakness, swelling, and dark-colored urine.