Team India captain Rohit Sharma showered profound praise on young batter Tilak Varma, who in just three T20I matches for India, has made headways and earned remarkable praise from fans and former cricketers. Rohit spoke about Tilak's hunger and maturity despite being a 20-year-old while touting him as a promising prospect moving forward.
"He looks very promising. I have seen him for two years now, he has got the hunger, and that is the most important thing," Rohit said in an interview with PTI.
"In him I can see, for the age that he is of, he is quite mature. He knows his batting so well. When I speak with him I understand that the boy knows his batting - where he has to hit, what he has to do in that period.
In three T20Is so far, the southpaw has scored 139 runs at an average of 69.50 and a strike rate of 139. He has scored one half-century and smashed five sixes in the shortest format for the Men in Blue. Moreover, with his style of batting and the confidence he displayed, Tilak was not overwhelmed by the occasion and showcased his attractive repertoire which has won high praise.
With India searching for a game-changer in the middle order for ODI World Cup, several prominent cricketers and former players have spoken about Tilak's inclusion in India's squad for the quadrennial competition.
Rohit has seen the rise of Tilak closely as the left-handed batter took strides in the last couple of years playing for Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) under the Hitman's captaincy. When asked about Tilak's selection for the ICC tournament, Rohit affirmed that he doesn't know what will happen in the future.
"That is all that I will say about him, I do not know about the World Cup and all, but definitely the guy is talented and he showed it in these few games that he has played for India," the Indian skipper added.
The ODI World Cup is scheduled to start on October 15 and the final of the event is slated to be played on November 19 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
Suryakumar Yadav's 2023 ODI World Cup spot assured? Former chief selector seems '100 percent' sure
Lucknow Super Giants extends bowling coach's contract, South Africa great to continue working with franchise for one more year
