Tilak Varma has had a magnificent start to his international career with two diametrically opposite knocks in the first two T20Is and doing absolute justice to the match situation and his team's position. Varma, who forced everyone to sit up and take notice of his talent during the IPL playing for the Mumbai Indians, earned his maiden India call-up for the West Indies series and has been the best batter for his side with scores of 39 (22) and 51 off 41.
However, it has not been an easy start for Tilak, who is the son of an electrician. Tilak comes from a humble background but his family has always been supportive of him and his talent. Speaking to Star Sports on Follow the Blues, Tilak's father Namboori Nagaraju said, "From the time he was a child, he always had a bat in his hand, all the time he used to play with his cricket bat. We bought him that plastic bat which you get from toy stores, and even when he slept, he used to keep the bat and ball by his side."
Tilak admitted that his father used to work a lot to support his family from morning to evening. Tilak said that he didn't even have but his father provided for it.
“My family support was very good. My father was an electrician so he used to work a lot. He used to work from the morning to the evening just to send me to the cricket academy. He worked a lot for me. Sometimes, I didn’t have a bat so I used to ask my father and he always said he will provide it for me," Tilak said.
Tilak who made his debut for Hyderabad in 2018, played for India at the U-19 level before the breakout with the IPL. According to Tilak's father, the U-19 World Cup was the big turning point in his son's career and his gave the credit for the same to his coach Salam Bayash, who took care of his food, and equipment while assuring the family that his studies won't get affected, which Mr Nagaraju was worried about.
“Salam sir used to encourage him a lot, whether it was his lunch or his cricket equipment, he said that he would give it to him. He used to tell me that if there was any issue, he is always there, we have to get him (Tilak) to the next level. I used to tell Salam Sir that he should not fall short in studies, he used to assure us that everything would be fine and money would not be an issue. He used to encourage him a lot, he was like a godfather to him.
“The U-19 world cup was a big turning point. He was so happy when he got selected in the team for the tournament. He immediately informed Salam Sir, and he was also very happy for him. Whatever happens, Tilak played for the U-19 world cup and that was a big achievement for him. He played very well," he added.
Tilak has all the makings of becoming a great player, but can he make it to the big league? That's the big question as his dream is to win matches for his country.
