Tilak Varma’s Asia Cup heroics mark rise of India’s next all-format star

Hyderabad’s Tilak Varma underlined his class in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan, steering India with maturity and power. From IPL roots to consistent international performances, the southpaw is shaping into India’s next all-format star, backed by coach Salam Bayash.

HYDERABAD: Hyderabadi Tilak Varma made yet another emphatic statement, if at all one needed, on the big stage that he means business and can well be the all-format player India should be looking for.

Well, the 22-year-old southpaw from the City, who has now become an integral part of the India T-20 team by virtue of class and consistency and has been a consistent scorer in the red-ball format too (waiting for Test debut for sure), took his batting skills to the next level in a high-voltage Asia Cup final in Dubai on Sunday night.

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In a way, Tilak showcased his growing maturity, his ability to combine raw power, class and amazing stroke selection – traits which he has been obviously mastering ever since he joined the high-profile IPL franchise Mumbai Indians. His back-to-back centuries against South Africa in T-20 internationals last November were proof of this.

For all those who followed his game from the early days, it is pretty evident that Tilak has been a completely different cricketer altogether once he made a serious impact for Mumbai Indians. There is a discernible change in his body language, his fitness level, his approach to the game, the way his mind seems to work like a computer in finding the gaps and most importantly picking the right length and the bowler to play those extravagant strokes.

This is evident by the when he hit that six of the seasoned campaigner Haris Rauf over square-leg when India needed eight of five balls to make it even easier for the ‘finisher’ Rinku Singh to sign off in style against Pakistan in the final.

Tilak’s batting is not all about just going out there and launching into those breathtaking strokes. His sense of understanding of the situation – like in the Asia Cup final when India lost three early wickets in a modest chase – to adapt and execute his role is something which the India head coach Gautam Gambhir should have been proud of.

And, the Tilak’s performances are not definitely the end-result of any short-cuts. The way his parents – N. Nagaraju and Gayathri Devi – backed Tilak’s passion for the game and importantly believed in the coach Salam Bayash are some of the key factors to the success story.

Given the fact that Bayash is not a coach of a high-profile cricket academy in Hyderabad but runs the Legala Cricket Academy in Lingampally in the City – is all the more special, signifying the essence of how a dedicated coach never lost faith in his ward (Tilak), come what may.

By all means, this Asia Cup ‘player of the final’ performance from Tilak could well be the beginning of many more such fabulous chapters in India’s cricketing history for Tilak has been giving an impression even now of being humble, down to earth.

Not surprisingly, Tilak’s coach Bayash is on cloud nine. “All the hard work we have put in is finally paying off and consistently at the highest level,” said the coach who rarely reaches out to the media for any kind of publicity.