Legendary Sunil Gavaskar has backed Tilak Varma to play for India in their upcoming T20I series against South Africa. Although the Mumbai Indians (MI) flattered to deceive in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL), the 19-year-old batter gave an account of his stupendous skills.
The right-hander, who was a part of the Indian squad in the 2020 U19 World Cup, has scored 376 runs from 13 games at an average of 37.60 with two half-centuries to show for his efforts.
“Tilak Varma has got the basics right. With all the right basics, you’ve got to marry the temperament and that marriage we have seen is very good at the moment (in the case of Tilak Varma). I hope that he carries on,” Gavaskar was quoted as saying on the Cricket Live show on Star Sports.
Matthew Hayden, in the meantime, reckoned that Rahul Tripathi has all the potential to play for India at the highest level. Hayden was in awe of the right-hander, who played for the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 2022 IPL.
In 13 matches, Tripathi scored 393 runs at an average of 39.30 and a strike rate of 161.72. He also notched three half-centuries with a top score of 76.
“I just love his ability to go hard upfront. The way Tripathi is taking the responsibility to strike the ball hard is brilliant. I think he has the real potential in the future to go all the way to the international level,” Hayden said.
“He’s a dangerous striker of the ball, someone who plays on both sides of the wicket. His ability to play short-pitched balls at ease impresses me in particular. You get him to Australia (for the T20 WC) because he can play those brilliant shots on the bouncy pitches there,” he added.
