Spin wizard Ravichandran Ashwin has called on the India's national selectors and team management to trust Tilak Varma's abilities and consider him for the ODI World Cup squad. He believes Varma could address India's middle-order challenges, especially when several key players are currently nursing injuries. Meanwhile, former India's chairman of selectors, MSK Prasad, also joined Ashwin's chorus, suggesting that Varma could find a spot in the final 15 if Shreyas Iyer isn't included.
Tilak Varma, the 20-year-old talented left-hander from Hyderabad, has gained attention with his impressive performances, scoring 39, 50, and 49 not out in three T20I games against the West Indies and despite being a newbie displayed immense confidence and composure at the international stage.
Discussing the World Cup squad, Ashwin mentioned on his YouTube channel, "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 (Ravindra Jadeja) is the only left-handed batter in the top 7."
Two prominent players, KL Rahul and Iyer, are struggling to recover in time for the marquee tournament commencing on October 5. While Suryakumar Yadav seems a favored choice for the squad, Sanju Samson's inconsistent performances could see Ishan Kishan step in as reserved wicketkeeper if Rahul is fit.
Ashwin explains his reasoning for suggesting Varma, emphasizing the lack of quality finger spinners in other top teams who might challenge a left-handed rookie. He pointed out notable players like Ashton Agar from Australia and Moeen Ali from England. According to Ashwin, Varma's rise is significant for India. Though he acknowledges that introducing Varma swiftly may be challenging, Ashwin feels Varma deserves a shot, especially given his recent performances in the West Indies.
He further added, "It is still early but will they see him as an option? He has at least made everyone notice him. He is surely in the contingency plan. Because any selector who would have seen that knock would have gone, 'Woah!'"
Echoing Ashwin's sentiments, Prasad highlighted Varma's excellent List A record for Hyderabad, which boasts an average of 56.18 across 25 games with five hundreds and as many half-centuries. Prasad shared with PTI, "Look at his List A record for Hyderabad. He has played 25 List A games and has an average of 55 plus (56.18). Five hundreds and five half-centuries. It means at least 50 per cent times he is converting fifties into hundreds. A strike rate of 100 plus. I think it won't be a bad idea provided Shreyas (Iyer) can't make it. Only then you can think of Varma. But I am sure he will be a white ball regular for India across formats going forward."
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