Young India batter Tilak Varma has cemented his place in the T20I squad but he wants to make a comeback in the ODIs and make his Test debut. Varma enjoys the longer formats more than the fast-paced T20s. While it was Ruturaj Gaikwad who was preferred at no.4 ahead of him, Varma is eagerly waiting for his first ODI appearance in nearly two years. While waiting in the wings, he praised head coach Gautam Gambhir for challenging and putting pressure on him in the practice sessions.
"Gautam sir always gives me confidence. He tells me that if you have the skill, you can play all formats and do well in all formats. He puts me under pressure in practice sessions so I can learn how to handle pressure in matches. He keeps challenging me because he believes I have the capability. That backing means a lot to me," Varma said on JioStar.
Varma talked about the presence of senior duo Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the ODI side. The southpaw revealed that he often talks to Kohli about fitness. He is looking forward to batting alongside him and putting pressure on the fielders with their running between the wickets.
"ODI and Test cricket feel like my game because I enjoy the longer format. I'm really excited to play more ODIs as well. When Rohit bhai and Virat bhai are in the same team, the confidence level is completely different. They have so much experience and knowledge, and I try to take as much advice from them as possible to get better. I speak to Virat bhai a lot, especially about fitness and running between the wickets. His intensity is incredible. I love running too, and I feel I'm pretty quick, so I really enjoy that part of the game. If we play together, running between the wickets with him is something I look forward to," the 23-year-old said.
In the unofficial ODI series, Varma was not at his best as India A skipper against South Africa's A side. In three ODIs, he registered scores of 39, 29 not out and 11 respectively.
Tilak Varma’s ODI numbers
The last time Varma played an ODI was on South African soil. He made his debut against Bangladesh in Colombo in Asia Cup 2023 clash before heading to South Africa. So far, he has scored 68 runs from four innings with a strike rate of 57.14. In his last ODI appearance, he scored a 77-ball 52 in a winning cause.