Tilak Varma's century spree continued as he clobbered a brilliant ton against Nagaland on Day 1 of the Ranji Trophy plate group semifinal against Nagaland. This is Tilak Varma's third century of this year's domestic season, as Hyderabad continued their dominance in the ongoing Ranji Trophy Plate Group League.
Tilak's grind in First-Class cricket continues
Rohit Sharma's Mumbai Indians' Tilak has been grinding hard in First-Class cricket. His two back-to-back centuries this season led to his selection in the India A squad for the unofficial Test series against England Lions, which the Men in Blue won.
However, the batter failed to replicate the same form in the two unofficial Test matches, managing just 74 runs in three matches.
With injuries and unavailability plaguing the Indian Test squad, the selectors will certainly be monitoring the performance of the young player. Tilak would want to make his impact for India in the longer format too after shining in the T20Is.
Tanmay Agarwal too cracks ton
Talking about the match, Hyderabad won the toss and elected to bat first against Nagaland in the Ranji Trophy Plate Group League. Hyderabad scored 383 runs for the loss of five wickets in 90 overs on Day 1. Batter Tanmay Agarwal was the pick of the batters, scoring 164 runs in 192 balls. He had a partnership with Rohit Rayudu, who scored 59 runs off 143 balls. After Rayudu's dismissal in the 36th over, Hyderabad captain Tilak came out to bat and scored 101 runs in 135 balls, with six fours and five sixes. For Nagaland so far, Rongsen Jonathan has taken two wickets, while Tahmeed Rahman, Khrievisto Kense, and Imliwati Lemtur have each taken a wicket.
Hyderabad in dominant position
Hyderabad is currently comfortably placed in the first position with five wins out of five matches. Nagaland is in fourth position with two wins, two losses, and one draw in their five matches. Varma's century was the highlight of the day for Hyderabad as it came at a decent strike rate of 74.81, and he got Hyderabad to a good total at the end of Day 1.
Tilak Varma's exploits for Team India
Varma debuted for India in T20s against the West Indies, and since then, he has played 16 T20Is in which he has smashed two half-centuries. His highest score is 55. He has also played four ODIs, where he has scored one half-century with a highest score of 52. However, Tilak is yet to play a Test match for India.
He was a front runner for India's middle-order squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup held in the West Indies and the United States Of America (USA). However, with his fellow teammates Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh, and Shivam Dube dazzling with the bat, Tilak's chances look bleak.
The 21-year-old would be hoping for a good domestic season ahead and a good IPL for the Mumbai Indians (MI) to return back to the national team.
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