Former Indian wicket-keeper batter Saba Karim backed young Indian batter Tilak Varma to come good in the ODI format of the game following his heroics in the T20 format of the game. The 20-year-old will be part of the Indian team for the Asia Cup 2023 in Sri Lanka.
Tilak made his T20I debut for India in the West Indies T20 series and showed great promise for the Men in Blue in the shorter format of the game, producing an impactful performance for the team in the T20 format. The youngster was picked for the continental event as he provides the left-hand option in the middle order alongside his part-time bowling for the team.
Speaking on Jiocinema, Saba Karim defends Tilak Varma’s selection in the Indian side for the Asia Cup 2023 as he feels there is no harm in picking a player from the T20 format to the ODI Format and reckons that the youngster has a fair amount of experience playing in domestic cricket, where he averages close to 50.
“At times, the selectors and the team management can back a player after what they have seen in the ground. There’s no harm in picking a player from the T20 format to the One-day format. One should also not forget that Tilak has had some kind of experience in List A matches”.
“He has played about 12-15 (25) games and averages about 50 which means he knows what to do in one-day cricket. For him to transition from T20 to one-day cricket should not take too long because of the experience he has had. At times, selectors go by that kind of criterion,” Saba Karim said.
The left-handed batter has shown to have the skills to tweak his game as per the conditions. Tilak can also be used as an enforcer in the middle order as he can attack the bowlers from the ball one and can provide a team with a few overs of his spin bowling in the middle overs.
It Will Come In Very Handy, It’s a Very Good Buildup For Tilak Varma – Saba Karim
Saba Karim feels that it is an exciting opportunity for Tilak Varma in the ODI team, as he can a lot from the experienced Indian players in the dressing room which can come in handy for him in the future.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for Tilak. For him to experience the dressing room, for him to understand the intricacies of international cricket, and how to prepare in different conditions, it will come in very handy. It’s a very good buildup for Tilak”.
“Whether he is part of the World Cup squad or not, whether he gets an opportunity here (Asia Cup) or not, irrespective of all that, for him to be given an opportunity, looking at his T20 performance speaks a lot,” Saba Karim added.
Tilak Varma has 1236 runs in 25 matches in the ODI format at a fantastic average of 56.18 and will look to have a positive impact on the team when provided the opportunity in the Asia Cup 2023.