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Thilak Varma - The Rising Star - IPL 2022 - Mumbai Indians

One of the tweets following Ravi Ashwin’s celebration after dismissing Thilak in the recently concluded match between MI and RR says “Thilak Varma should wear that Ashwin celebration like a crown”

Ashwin losing his cool after the reverse sweep six hit by Thilak, symbolize the level of attention and the credibility achieved by his knock 61 runs off just 33 deliveries at an impressive strike rate of 184.85. Playing in a high pressurized chase in  limelight before billion fans and giving such a performance only in his second outing, does he look like a 19-year-old lad?  

The journey so far of this young left-handed batsman is inspiring!

His father Namboori Nagaraju is an electrician who could hardly afford to send Tilak Varma to a cricket academy and buy him the gears, but then the coach Salam Bayash came in for support. 

Living in a rented house, Varma’s four-member family was hit hard financially during the COVID-19 pandemic as his father stopped getting new contracts during the lockdowns, but his cricket did not suffer, thanks to his coach’s unrelenting support that helped Thilak to play cricket in continuity. His coach bought him the cricketing gears and took care of most of the expenses (at Legala Cricket Academy).

Thilak made his Ranji Trophy debut against Andhra three years ago. He also played for India in the U-19 World Cup in 2020 when the team finished runners-up to Bangladesh, scoring 38 and 48 in two games. He was on a roll in the Vijay Hazare Trophy domestic one-dayers, scoring 180 runs in five matches and taking four wickets. He was also impressive in the Syed Mushtaq Ali domestic T20s, compiling 215 runs in seven games at a strike rate of 147.26.

With this background and  a base price of Rs 20 lakh, he generated huge interest among the franchises in IPL auction this year. It resulted in intense bidding between Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings before the Rohit Sharma-led side breached the Rs one-crore mark for the young left-hander.

 “I was confident of playing IPL but never expected to get this price-tag. It's a dream come true for me to play with a team I always loved. It will give me a perfect opportunity to learn and hone my skills, playing alongside the greats. So, it’s all because of him and my family's support I’m here,” Thilak told news agency PTI after being bought by the record five-time champions. It is not for nothing that Thilak attributes his growth as a cricketer to his coach Salam Bayash, who provided him the necessary grooming, gave him food, and when required, a place to stay in his own house where five other family members lived.

And that’s how that nine-year-old boy, once playing in the lanes of Chandrayangutta locality in Hyderabad, and possessing an attractive batting stance, cuts and pulls shots, grew into a 19-year-old Tilak Varma, with a Rs 1.7 crore Indian Premier League (IPL) deal.

It is learned from his coach that he prefers to bat at No. 3 but also flexible and loves playing the finisher’s role. It works perfectly for him in finishing the games. Also, he is very serious about his off-spin and it comes handy during crunch situations.

Let’s not forget that its just the earlier days in the long tournament that cannot be justified with just an innings show. One thing for sure is that he has cemented his place in the Mumbai’s middle order that otherwise left with on other option. The Paltans are already excited to witness the SKY-Thilak partnership soon.