As the 2023 ODI World Cup draws nearer, the Indian cricket team grapples with uncertainties, especially in their middle order. The absence of star players KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer, both sidelined due to injuries earlier this summer, has intensified the quest for a perfect batting lineup, particularly the crucial number four position.
India's ace off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin, however, believes that the solution may lie in India's latest cricket sensation, Tilak Varma. Making headlines with his maiden half-century against the West Indies in the ongoing T20I series, Varma is quickly becoming a notable figure in the cricket fraternity.
In Ashwin's recent YouTube video, he shared, “The emergence of Tilak Varma has made everyone take notice of him. He looked in imperious touch even on that slow pitch in 1st T20I. His batting style is very unlike for an Indian making his international debut. His game resembles a lot like Rohit Sharma. He sweats on the pull shot. Generally, India batters won’t set up to play the pull shot. It is something they develop later. But his game looks like he has a natural pull shot and sends the ball outside the rope like an Aussie batter.”
Ashwin further accentuated the significance of Varma in the context of the World Cup, noting, “This is neck-and-neck with respect to the World Cup. So, will they think about Tilak Varma as an option if we don’t have enough backups? Because Sanju Samson has performed really well in ODIs. But the exciting part about Tilak Varma is that he is a left-hander and Team India is lacking left-handers. Jaddu is the only left-handed batter in the top 7. And look at the off-spinners from all the top teams. Australia have Ashton Agar. England have Moeen Ali and a leggie in Adil Rashid. So most teams don’t have a finger spinner to challenge the left-handed batters. That is why the emergence of Tilak is crucial.”
Adding to his credentials, the southpaw, emerges as the highest run-scorer for India in the five-match T20I series, registering scores of 39 and 51 in the first and second T20I respectively under the captaincy of Hardik Pandya.
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