IPL 2022: Tilak Varma credits his success to captain Rohit

Hyderabad: Hyderabad cricketer N Thakur Tilak Varma has been performing well despite his side Mumbai Indians going through a tough phase. With the team already out of reckoning for playoffs for this season suffering eight losses, the five-time defending champions are playing to salvage some pride. However, the 19-year-old Hyderabadi left-hander has made a mark […]

Hyderabad: Hyderabad cricketer N Thakur Tilak Varma has been performing well despite his side Mumbai Indians going through a tough phase.

With the team already out of reckoning for playoffs for this season suffering eight losses, the five-time defending champions are playing to salvage some pride. However, the 19-year-old Hyderabadi left-hander has made a mark for himself with his batting abilities.

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Speaking to the Mumbai India’s official channel, the southpaw revealed that receiving the debut cap from captain Rohit Sharma spurred him to do well. Tilak Varma has been the leading run-getter for Mumbai Indians this season with 307 runs.

“I always liked Rohit bhai, so getting the cap from him really pumped me up and gave me confidence. He keeps telling me that I shouldn’t take pressure in any situation, and says, ‘The way you enjoy and play, keep enjoying your game that way’. He would say ‘you’re young, this is the time to enjoy it. If you ever lose that, it doesn’t come back. So the more you enjoy yourself and play, positive things will come to you. Bad days will come, good days will also come’,” said Varma.

Varma attributed his success to Rohit, saying his advice has worked for him. “He (Rohit) has told me to always enjoy myself and that is something I remember always. It will stay with me for my life in general too. And it is working too. If I’ve started well, it’s because of that,” he added.

Varma also said head coach and former Sri Lankan great Mahela Jayawardene makes suggestions about his batting. “He (Jayawardene) talks to me about my batting and makes suggestions,” Varma said. “If I back myself to play a shot and get out in a game, he tells me to not stop myself from playing that same shot in the next game. Because that is my scoring shot, so you can get out on it too, but you’ll get runs from it also. He makes one mentally strong,” he said.

Stressing that he has also developed strong friendship with young Dewald Brewis, Varma says it becomes easy to bat with the South African. “Now we’re so close we understand each other very well too, on the field and off it. So it’s become very easy to bat with him (Brewis) in a match. “When you are doing well on the field, automatically the bond becomes stronger off the field too,” he signed off.