Tilak Varma reacts after receiving maiden India call-up

N Tilak Varma received his maiden India T20I call-up for the tour of West Indies and USA.

Hyderabad batter Tilak Varma rejoiced after receiving his maiden India call-up as he, along with Yashasvi Jaiswal and Mukesh Kumar, were named in the Men in Blue T20I squad for the upcoming five-match series against West Indies.

On Wednesday evening, Varma was informed of his selection to the Indian T20 team by his childhood friend. He would then make a video call to his parents to break the news.

"I was not thinking about the national side. My mom and dad were crying on video call yesterday; they were very emotional. My childhood friend called me [saying] you have got selected. That was the time - around 8 o'clock [pm] - that I knew I was selected,” Varma was quoted as saying by PTI.   

Tilak Varma went out to bat on a cloudy morning at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium with South Zone in trouble against North Zone at 63/4 in the Duleep Trophy quarterfinals, and there was an additional spring in his step. Varma, who is unbeaten after 12 innings, didn't get much sleep because the news of his selection for India's T20 team left him feeling too overwhelmed.

“I was confident because I was thinking that now I am a capped player. I was confident and yesterday also I was confident, but it was different,” Varma said.

But when he went out alongside Mayank Agarwal, the call-up only boosted his self-confidence a notch, instead of letting his emotions get the better of him.

"I have heard a lot from Rohit Sharma, Sachin Sir and Virat Kohli”- Tilak Varma

Tilak Varma spoke about receiving advice from the likes of his Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma and legend Sachin Tendulkar, who is the mentor of the MI franchise.

"I have heard a lot from Rohit bhai and Sachin sir, and also from Virat [Kohli] bhai. They always tell that when you are in good form, your subconscious mind is in the right place. They also tell me to play close to the body… they always tell that [preparing] off the field is very important,” Varma added.

In IPL 2023, Tilak Varma slammed 343 runs at a strike rate of 164. Only two Indian batters, Suryakumar Yadav and Ajinkya Rahane, had a better strike rate than those to have hit at least 300 runs this season.

"I visualize every night how I can bat: if in a World Cup match, we are four or five down for 40 or 50, from there on, how can I take the team forward? It helps in making it easy for me," Varma said.

With India’s T20I squad having a settled batting line-up at the top, Varma may have to bat in the middle-order, just like what he did for Mumbai Indians in the IPL.