The Young player Tilak Varma had dedicated his first half-century in his international career to Rohit Sharma’s daughter.
Tilak Varma dedicates his first half-century to Rohit’s daughter
Tilak Varma had been celebrating his first T20I fifty in the second match of the West Indies tour 2023. He said the maiden half-century was for Rohit Sharma’s 4-year-old daughter Samaira in a video shared by BCCI on Twitter.
A special fifty 👍
A special celebration for someone special from the Rohit Sharma family ☺️#TeamIndia | #WIvIND | @ImRo45 | @TilakV9 pic.twitter.com/G7knVbziNI
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 6, 2023
Varma had scored 51 runs on 41 deliveries in his second T20I match. India had scored 152 losing 7 wickets, but it was not enough, as Nicholas Pooran 67 runs out of 40 deliveries which helped West Indies on reaching the target in 18.5 overs.
Tilak Varma shared a 42-run partnership for the third wicket with Ishan Kishan scored 27 runs and a 38 runs stand with Hardik Pandya who scored 24 runs off 18 deliveries. West Indies survived to beat India by two wickets with seven balls remaining in their second T20 on Sunday. West Indies won the opener by four runs.
Both teams will stay in Providence, Guyana, for the third T20I on Tuesday, with the final two matches will be held in Lauderhill, Florida on August 12 and 13.
Tilak Varma played for Mumbai Indians in the IPL on Rohit’s side, adding that India’s captain has been a Support System for him.
“It was towards Sammy, Rohit bhai’s daughter,” he told reporters after the match. “I am very close to Sammy. I had promised her that whenever I will score a century or a fifty, I will do a celebration for her,” he added.
Tilak Varma acknowledged that it was IPL that helped him make his mark and earn an India call-up. He said it was Rahul Dravid and Hardik Pandya helped him boost his confidence of batting in the short format.
“Everyone knows that the two IPL seasons were my turning point. I am here because of my performances there. So, I am just playing with that confidence and going forward I want to continue what I’ve been doing,” said Tilak Varma.
“I have been with Rahul (Dravid) sir since the Under-19 World Cup. He always says to follow your basics and spend as much time in the 22 yards between the wickets. He always says to enjoy your game as much as you can.
When I was talking to Hardik (Pandya) bhai also, he says the same thing, that you’ve done well in IPL and domestic, so this is the same thing you should do in international cricket. Follow your basics and enjoy your game,” he added.
After a terrific start in the Mumbai Indians team joining them in 2022, Tilak Varma had played 25 matches up to date in his IPL career and has scored a total of 740 runs, with an average of 38.95. It includes three half-centuries, with his highest IPL score of 84 runs.
Tilak has struck 55 fours and 39 sixes in his IPL career. He played his last IPL match against Gujarat at Narendra Modi Stadium, scoring 43 runs off 14 balls. He was auctioned for INR 1.70 crores by Mumbai Indians in the IPL auction 2023.
