Tilak Varma’s strong start at the international level has sparked debate about his inclusion in the World Cup plans for India. With an uncertain, left-hander-bereft-looking middle order, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to take a calculated punt on him, writes Naman Agarwal.
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Former Indian selector MSK Prasad recently endorsed Tilak Varma as a potential X-factor for India at the upcoming World Cup.
India were chasing 150. When debutant Tilak arrived at the crease, the score read 28-2 off 4.5 overs. They seemed to be headed for nowhere.
When he hit his second ball for six, he caught the attention of the viewers, and of Alzarri Joseph, who was on the receiving end. By the time his third ball sailed over the ropes, he had everyone hooked. He had announced his arrival at international cricket in style and then some.
In the ongoing T20I series against the West Indies, his first in international cricket, Tilak has shown that he belongs at this level. From taking on fast bowlers right from the word go inside the powerplay to attacking spin in the middle overs to playing a supporting act when a partner is going great guns at the other end, Tilak has shown maturity beyond his age – which happens to be just 20 by the way.
Naturally, it has resulted in calls for including him in the upcoming ODI World Cup plans for India. While a lot of it has been a knee-jerk reaction to three good knocks in T20Is, there is enough substance behind the idea to give it a realistic shot, especially with all the uncertainty surrounding the availability of first-choice players.
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The rumour mills have been churning out updated timelines for the return of KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Rishabh Pant, but there is no certainty yet. Rahul seems to be the frontrunner on the path to full recovery and is expected to make the cut for the Asia Cup, but the same can’t be said for Iyer. Pant, meanwhile, is almost surely out of the reckoning for the World Cup.
India need to be prepared with backups, which is what they tried to do during the ODIs in West Indies, tinkering with the XIs and batting order in an attempt to give opportunities to Sanju Samson, Suryakumar Yadav, and Axar Patel. However, in Tilak, they have another potential option they can look towards as a backup middle-order batter for the World Cup.
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Among all Tilak’s brings as a pure limited-overs middle-order batter, his being a left-hander is among the most tempting. Of the 95 innings played by Indian batters at four or five in ODIs since 2020, only 21 were by left-handers. Of those 21, eleven were by Pant.
The only other left-hander to play five or more innings in the middle order in ODIs for India since 2020 has been Ishan Kishan – at an average of 21.2 and a strike rate of 68 across six innings.
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While not a necessity, having a left-hander in the middle order who is good against spin prevents oppositions from running through and choking the middle overs with spinners who would take the ball away from the right-handers. In a World Cup scheduled in India, spin is expected to play a major role by design, and a left-hander in the middle order will be a circuit-breaker in an otherwise right-hander-heavy lineup.
Tilak not only provides that but he has also shown that he is extremely comfortable against spin. From 28 T20 games – including IPL and T20Is – he averages 66.8 and strikes at 142 against spin. No one in T20 cricket history has scored more against spin at a better average. The numbers may be from a different format, but they provide an indication of his quality against tweakers, something India will desperately need through the middle overs in the World Cup.
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Tilak also provides an added dimension with his part-time off-spin. India have struggled to find batters who can bowl since Kedar Jadhav. They do not have an off-spinner in their World Cup plans either. Tilak fits nicely into that box and can provide a crucial matchup against left-handers through the middle overs.
The chief factor going against Tilak is lack of international experience: he is currently on his first tour with the senior team, is yet to turn 21, and all his performances at the top level have come in the T20 format. He does, however, boast of an impressive List A record – 1,236 runs from 25 games at an average of 56.18 and a strike rate of 102 with five fifties and five hundreds.
Giving him a go in the Asia Cup won’t be the worst thing to do. If he impresses, and if the first-choice players have not recovered – or don’t seem to be in the best of touches post-comeback – a call can be made on him for the World Cup.
He has been named in the squad for the Asian Games that will run from September 28 to October 8, partially overlapping with the first week of the World Cup. There is no clarity yet on whether players selected for the Asian Games can be named in World Cup squads yet, but if they can, he might just be worth the punt.
India have been known for erring on the side of safety and experience while picking squads for major tournaments, and may do the same this time as well. But Tilak ticks too many boxes to be ignored without a thought. A struggling, uncertain middle-order. An ODI World Cup in the subcontinent. A left-handed batter who can bowl part-time spin and is a livewire on the field. Make of that what you will.
