Cricket News: Tilak's coach shares feelings after student's India call-up

Tilak Varma, India's brilliant young hitter, has enjoyed an electric start to his international career, despite the fact that India is 0-2 down in the five-match T20I series against the West Indies.

The left-hander scored 39 runs in 22 balls in the first encounter at Trinidad. In the second T20I, he scored a 41-ball 51 against the West Indies.

Tilak was selected for India's T20 squad for this Caribbean tour after solid performances at the local level for Hyderabad and in the Indian Premier League for Mumbai Indians.

He has seized the opportunity with both hands, and it appears like India's lengthy search for a match-winning left-hander in the middle order may be over.

Salam Bayash, Varma's boyhood coach, recalled how thrilled his student was when he learned he had been called up to the Indian team. Salam praised the youngster's upbringing and stated that he has always believed that the Guntur native will be a major player one day.

"He belongs to a very humble background and his family has taught him to give respect to the teacher. Talking about him, he too is a very humble kid. Main mehnatkraya, vomehnatkiya, dene wala to uparwala hi hai. I'm very happy for him. Every coach wants to see his student playing for the country and my wish got fulfilled,"

the coach was quoted as saying by News18 Cricket Next.

"The moment he got selected for the Indian team, he called me up on video call. I was driving at that point of time. But he kept on calling and finally I parked my vehicle and picked his call. He then broke the news to me that he was selected in the Indian team. Sir mera Indian team mein naam agya [Sir, I have received India team call-up]. He was delighted and so was I. I always believed that he is destined to be a big player and we just kept working hard towards this,"

he added.

The signing of Tilak Varma has greatly benefited the Mumbai Indians. He has 740 runs in 25 games for the five-time IPL champions, with an average of 38.95 and a strike rate of 144.53. Bayash, a Sachin Tendulkar enthusiast, advised Tilak to learn whatever he could from the 'Master Blaster'.

"The person whom I look up to, you are getting to spend time with him and that's Sachin Tendulkar. It's in itself a very big thing for me. Try to grab as much knowledge as you can from him,"

Bayash concluded.

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