Veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has hinted at a wildcard call-up for Tilak Varma ahead of the World Cup 2023. The 20-year-old has taken the Indian cricket team by storm, being the lone bright spot in the IND vs WI T20 series. A left-hander and a versatile middle-order batsman, the Mumbai Indians star could answer many questions for Rohit Sharma and Rahul Dravid heading into the Asia Cup 2023.
Making his international debut, Tilak Varma showed no signs of nerve as he hit two sixes off his first three balls. After a stroke-filled 39 on his debut, he followed it up with a maiden half-century in his second game. The 20-year-old became the second youngest after Rohit Sharma to get a 50 for Indian Cricket Team in T20Is. Tilak’s ability to pace his innings and play both pace and spin caught the eye of Ravichandran Ashwin.
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Speaking on his Youtube channel, Ashwin spoke about how he was impressed by the Hyderabad-born star ever since he burst onto the scene. The veteran spinner saw similarities to a young Rohit Sharma lauding him for his efforts in the IND vs WI series.
“His batting style is very unlike for an Indian making his international debut. His game resembles a lot like Rohit Sharma. He sweats on the pull shot. Generally, India batters won’t set up to play the pull shot. It is something they develop later. But his game looks like he has a natural pull shot and sends the ball outside the rope like an Aussie batter,” Ashwin said in his recent YouTube video.
World Cup 2023 spot possible?
The Indian Cricket Team has most likely identified their combination for the World Cup 2023. However, the injury status of both Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul remains unclear. The duo are set to miss the Asia Cup 2023, with the squad submission deadline also close. While Tilak factoring in would be far-fetched, but Ashwin believes he could solve a lot of problems.
“Sanju Samson has performed really well in ODIs. But the exciting part about Tilak Varma is that he is a left-hander and Team India is lacking left-handers. Jaddu is the only left-handed batter in the top 7. And look at the off-spinners from all the top teams. Australia have Ashton Agar. England have Moeen Ali and a leggie in Adil Rashid. So most teams don’t have a finger spinner to challenge the left-handed batters. That is why the emergence of Tilak is crucial,” Ashwin opined.
It is fair to say Tilak has made a lasting impression in just two games on the international circuit. With 3 more T20Is and the Ireland series to go, the southpaw will hope to add more credit to his name.
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