It’s always special to play on home ground, says local boy Tilak Varma

With each match, be it international, domestic and IPL, Tilak has grown up in stature and into a complete batter with a range of strokes which can put the best of the bowlers on the defensive

HYDERABAD: The next best thing to happen to Indian batting from Hyderabad is the emergence of local boy Tilak Varma.

With each match, be it international, domestic and IPL, Tilak has grown up in stature and into a complete batter with a range of strokes which can put the best of the bowlers on the defensive.

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“It’s always special to play on home ground, certainly feeling emotional and it’s a special moment for me,” Tilak said in the pre-match briefing ahead of Mumbai’s game against Sunrisers Hyderabad here.

“Winning three games in-a-row is always good, it’s not easy to win three games, but I would say it’s a long tournament, so we just want to follow our basics and be calm and we want to do the right things in the right moment,” the explosive southpaw said.

Questioned whether Mumbai is peaking at the right time in the IPL, the Hyderabadi said it was very important to win, after losing four in five games. “It is a long season, so I think we should be calm and be focused as well,” he added.

Reflecting on the pitch, Tilak said Hyderabad wicket was always good to bat, so hoping that again tomorrow also it will be a big score. “Let’s see how it plays tomorrow,” he added.

“If I am not wrong, there are two wickets, one wicket was played last time. I think it was the second wicket, so it’s always a 250-plus score here. The other wicket will be slightly tricky, there will be some turn, so we are prepared for that,” he said. “Our bowlers are in good shape, so I think they will score that much tomorrow, they are playing well, but again we will see tomorrow how it goes,” he said.

Looking back at the team’s decision to ‘retire him out’ against Lucknow Super Giants, a sober Tilak said he didn’t think too much about that at that time. “There will be ups and downs, but I took it in a positive way and I know what I can do for the team. I believed in myself and came back strongly,” Tilak said.

“I feel playing with seniors there who have won World Cups helps a lot. When I was a kid, I joined the Mumbai Indians. That time also I have shared good experiences with them and now the same players have been the World Champions and also the Champions Trophy winners,” Tilak said with a big smile. “I was always asking them and learning,” he said.