India vs West Indies 2023: Meet Hyderabad Electrician’s Son Tilak Verma, Who Joins Team India Squad After IPL 2023 Show

Just a few months ago, five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Mumbai India and their much-awaited batting lineup were battling it out against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their opening match of IPL 2023. But a 20-year-old batsman – Tilak Verma – stood amidst the ruins of MI, smashing an unbeaten 84 off 46 balls with 4 sixes and 9 fours against international bowlers like Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Michael Bracewell and Harshal Patel. Innings played

Since that knock, the Mumbai Indians youngster hasn’t looked back and scored 343 runs in just 11 matches at a strike-rate of 164.11 in IPL 2023 to earn a much-deserved first call at the age of just 20. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced the squad for the five-match T20I series against the West Indies next month. However, Tilak Verma’s journey to the Indian team was not an easy one.

Who is Tilak Verma?

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The young batsman from Hyderabad is being touted as the next big thing to come from his state after former India batsman VVS Laxman. Tilak’s father Nagaraju is an electrician by profession in Hyderabad and it was his coach Salam Bayas who believed in the youngster’s cricketing talent.

According to a TOI report, since the age of just 12, Tilak Verma used to wake up every day at 4 am and travel 30 km to Uppal Stadium in Hyderabad on his coach’s bike. MI bought Tilak Verma for Rs 1.7 crore in the IPL auction and since then the youngster has not disappointed Rohit Sharma.

“Growing up, we faced a lot of financial difficulties. My father had to take care of my cricket expenses as well as my elder brother’s studies with his meager salary. Over the years, with a few sponsorships and match fees, I have been able to take care of my cricketing expenses,’ Verma was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz website.

“We don’t have a house yet. So with whatever I have earned in this IPL, my only goal is to build a house for my parents. He said, “This money from IPL gives me the opportunity to play freely for the rest of my career.”

Ahead of IPL 2023, Tilak Verma scored 391 runs for Hyderabad in the Vijay Hazare ODI tournament and 215 runs at a strike-rate of 147.26 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in the 2021-22 season. Tilak bought a new house for his family in Hyderabad and also hosted the MI team for dinners during the IPL 2023 season.

honored to host me @mipaltan Family at my house for dinner. An amazing night that my family and I will never forget. thank you for coming ___ pic.twitter.com/LaBilbnrFS– Tilak Verma (@TilakV9) 17 April 2023

Tilak Verma’s dream came true

After being called up to the Indian team on Wednesday, Tilak Verma told TOI newspaper that it was a dream come true for him. “I am looking forward to this tour as it has been one of my dreams to play for the country. At the moment, I am focussing on Duleep Trophy and just want to do well and win matches for my team. But, yes, I am really looking forward to be a part of the Indian team on the West Indies tour. This is a great opportunity to pursue my dreams,” TOI quoted Verma as saying.

Tilak Verma missed the 2022-23 domestic season due to injury but his temperament and technique have been praised by MI mentor and Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar as well.

“Injuries are an integral part of a sportsperson’s life and hence I am not thinking too far ahead. I am taking it one game/tournament at a time and want to win every game that I get to play for my team. If I do basic things properly, I know there will be rewards,” Verma told TOI.

“Good performance in domestic tournaments and IPL helps a player get selected. IPL is a big tournament and doing well there definitely helped me.

The youngster said that his childhood dream is to win the World Cup with Team India. “My childhood dream is to win the World Cup for India and hope it comes true soon. But right now, my focus is on current matches like Duleep Trophy and other sports,” said Tilak.