The 20-year-old Tilak Varma has impressed everyone with his performances including the selectors when he made his International debut recently in the five-match T20I series against the West Indies.
As the Asia Cup 2023 approaches, all eyes are on the cricket field, with the BCCI releasing the 17 players chosen to represent India in the much-anticipated tournament held in Sri Lanka. The emphasis shines notably on Tilak Varma, a young talent whose selection sparked various discussions. At just 20 years old, Varma made quite an impression during his recent international debut in the T20I series against the West Indies. However, the question of whether he would have a chance to demonstrate his skills in the next Asia Cup, due to take off on August 30, remains unanswered.
A significant voice pitching in on this topic is former Indian cricketer Kris Srikkanth. He gave his perspective, noting that it could be smarter for Varma to break onto the international stage during the ODIs leading up to the World Cup, rather than making his debut directly in such a high-stakes event. This advice takes into account the return of seasoned players like KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer to the Indian squad. With these seasoned players back in action, Varma’s route to gaining a spot in the squad might well be a hard one.
“Do not give Tilak Varma a debut in a big tournament; play him in the ODI series before that. Tilak Varma is promising. The Asia Cup is a big opportunity for him. We saw some real promise, not only in terms of performances but also temperament, during the T20I series against the West Indies. This will give him exposure,” Kris Srikkanth said in a video on his YouTube channel.
In addition, Srikkanth had a lot of positive things to say about Tilak Varma. Even though Varma possesses great talent, Srikkanth’s viewpoint is that it’s important for the Indian team to nurture him effectively. He suggested that Varma should have the opportunity to participate in a couple of ODIs before being included in the lineup for the upcoming ODI World Cup.
“Tilak has fantastic potential, a brilliant player — but he has to play a couple of one-day series before putting him in the WC squad. We need to groom him properly,” Kris Srikkanth further added on Tilak Varma.
