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Basit Ali remembers Azharuddin’s words of appreciation for Tilak Varma
Follow UsThis range and diversity in the batting style of the youngster who’s still in his early 20s seems to have impressed experts all over the world
In the second T20I against England in Chennai, Tilak Varma showed that he is not just a modern T20 batter who can hit big shots to win his team the game. He can also play the situation with maturity, control his natural instincts, and do what is required for the team.
As team India continued to lose wickets in their attempt to chase down 166, Tilak held one end up and scored 72* to take India home along with the lower-order batters. This innings was in stark contrast to both of his T20I centuries in South Africa, where he just continued to blast off against the Proteas, showing that he has all the necessary skills required to bat like a modern T20 batter.
This range and diversity in the batting style of the youngster, who’s still in his early 20s, seems to have impressed experts all over the world. Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali was one of them as he heaped praise on the Indian prodigy and remembered how Mohammad Azharuddin had singled out Tilak as a future Indian batting when he was taking his first steps in the Indian Premier League.
“When I interviewed Mohammad Azharuddin, he took the name of Tilak Varma when he was nothing, playing only in IPL,” Basit said on his YouTube channel.
“He [Azharuddin] said, ‘There is Tilak Varma, watch him [play]’ and now it’s come true. Duniya ek numbari to Tilak Varma teen nambari (If World is number 1, Tilak Varma is number 3).
“You’ll ask what did I say? It’s because he is performing back-to-back since he’s come at No. 3,” Ali added.
Former Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma had already earmarked Tilak as a future all-format star in 2022, which was Tilak’s first season in the IPL.
