HYDERABAD: In a star-studded field on display on Tuesday night, it will be N Thakur Tilak Varma who will be the cynosure of most Hyderabadis. The sensational Tilak has been in blistering form this season for Mumbai Indians and is one of their mainstays.
Though he is playing against the hosts Sunrisers Hyderabad, Tilak will garner a lot of support from the fans. “About 70 of our camp boys will be at the ground tomorrow. Tilak’s family and my family too will be at the stadium,” said his coach Salam Bayash and added, “Tilak’s family is happy and are eager to see him bat here. They have watched his matches in Bengaluru and Mumbai but watching him bat on home ground will be a different experience for them.”
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Whom will they be supporting? “We will definitely be supporting Tilak and Mumbai Indians as our Hyderabad boy is playing for them. We don’t feel like watching SRH games as they don’t have a single Hyderabad player in the team. There is a complete disconnect with this team. They should have taken a few Hyderabad players in the squad and thereby promoted cricket in the city,” he stated.
The coach was a bit concerned about Tilak’s from going into the IPL but things have turned out well for the 21-year-old batter. “After injury, we were a bit worried about his form and how he will adapt to the challenges. He was out for around three-and-a-half months as it was a serious health issue. But once he started training and practice, we started working on his mental toughness. We kept telling him that injuries are a part of a sportsperson's life but bouncing back was important and to focus on his game and fitness.
“At the DY Patil tournament, he played a match and scored a half-century. Then I knew that Tilak was back on track and there was nothing much to worry about,” he said.
Salam feels Tilak will break into the Indian team in the next few months. “This is the best time for him to play for the country as he is in great form. He has been learning a lot at MI from the likes of Rohit Sharma, Mark Boucher and Sachin Tendulkar. Being with them, Tilak has been able to soak up their wisdom and learn from their experiences. It is a great thing for the youngster. I am sure that he will play for India in the next one year – maybe 5-6 months’ time.
“Sachin has been helping him a lot with his batting and also giving him tips to become mentally tough. I told him to soak up all that knowledge and to put that into practice,” he said.
