'It reminds me of myself': Virender Sehwag drops huge statement on MI's breakout star, urges youngster to work on his weakness

Mumbai Indians (MI) are known to unearth special talents.

SportsTak

• Mon • 29 May 2023

Mumbai Indians (MI) are known to unearth special talents. Over the years, the franchise has paved the way for players like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya among others, who have gone on to become superstars of Indian cricket. Along the same lines, the Mumbai-based franchise has found another talented cricketer in Tilak Varma, who with his explosive batting has left a last impression on fans and former cricketers.

After making his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut in 2022, the left-handed batter has grown in stature. Last season, the 20-year-old scored 397 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 131.02. In the 2023 season, the explosive batter aggregated 343 runs in 11 matches at an outstanding strike rate of 164.11. His ability to score runs at a healthy strike rate during the middle overs has been a treat to watch.

Former India captain and legendary batter, Virender Sehwag too has been impressed with the youngster. Sehwag offered a piece of advice for Tilak and urged the left-handed batter to work on his weakness.

"He (Tilak Varma) should focus on two things; improve his fitness, and identify the skills that he can work on, as well as the mindset. It often happens when you play regular cricket, you change yourself with time. But when you're not playing cricket, you have to focus on your fitness and your skills. Like Suryakumar Yadav, he practiced a lot for his shots," NDTV quoted Sehwag as saying.

"Tilak Varma should focus on improving his weakness. It reminds me of myself, when I played for India for the first time in 1999, I was dismissed by Shoaib Akhtar. Before I could bring my bat down, the ball hit my pad. So, Dada (Sourav Ganguly) told me one thing... go back, practice against fast bowling, so you come better prepared. I used to play at middle-order, I got spin, and by the time fast bowlers came, I had already scored a century. Likewise, Tilak Varma needs to look on where are his weaknesses," said Sehwag.