Former India batsman Robin Uthappa heaped praise on Tilak Verma after he made a stunning international debut in the first T20s against West Indies at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad on Thursday 3, 2023. Uthappa describes Verma as a very intelligent cricketer with a strong mind on his shoulders. India lost to the West Indies by four runs in the opening T20 match of the five-match series.
Chasing 150 their batting faltered and they were stopped at 145/9. However, Verma made an impressive impact on debut. After taking a fine running catch in the outfield to dismiss Johnson Charles, he made 39 runs in 22 balls. In astonishing fashion, Verma hit Alzarri Joseph for sixes off the second and third balls and left his mark in international cricket.
Praising the youngster, Uthappa told JioCinema:
“We didn’t expect 6, 6 to start his international career. He made it look easy. I mean, these are some sublime shots, just the sound of the bat, certainly great shots and speak volumes about how confident he’s feeling at the moment. And you know, I think he’s got a very firm head on his shoulders. I think he’s a very intelligent cricketer.”
Takes a blinder.
Hits back to back sixes to kick off his innings.
A dashing debut for Tilak Varma 😎#INDvWIAdFreeonFanCode #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/VpcKOyfMSR— FanCode (@FanCode) August 3, 2023
The left-handed batsman came to bat at number four after the Indian opener was dismissed cheaply. Shubman Gill was dismissed by Akil Hossain for 3 runs, while Ishan Kishan was dismissed for 6 runs by Obed McCoy. Suryakumar Yadav made 21 runs and captain Hardik Pandya made 19 runs and got starts but could not get going.
Also Read: Mohammad Kaif Makes Big Statement on India’s World Cup Chances
Wish He Kicked on And Got a 50 – Uthappa Analyzes Varma’s Innings
Sharing his thoughts on Tilak Verma’s debut innings in international cricket Robin Uthappa said he was not surprised to see the flow with which the southpaw batting. However, he wanted the 20-year-old to step up and score a half-century.
“That is where he likes to put pressure back on the opposition and we have spoken about this in the pre-match talk, where we spoke about how he likes to up the ante when he goes in the bat and that’s exactly what he did from the word go. So I wasn’t surprised with the way he kicked off, but I wish he kicked on and got a 50 in that first game,” Uthappa commented.
Grateful for the opportunity to represent my country. Thank you to everyone who has supported me, backed me and helped me get this far. Thank you to everyone for all your wishes 🇮🇳💙🫡 pic.twitter.com/mfTgIvhCpH
— Tilak Varma (@TilakV9) August 4, 2023
The second T20I of the India-West Indies series will be played at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Sunday.
