‘He is a man for every situation’ – Brad Hogg ‘really impressed’ with Tilak Varma

Tilak Varma. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)

The Indian team has a plethora of young, talented players in its arsenal. With many stars like Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan starting to make their way regularly in the line-up, there are some who are waiting for their turn as the quality and competition in the current setup is quite high.

One such youngster is the 20-year-old Tilak Varma who has wreaked havoc in domestic cricket and in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Varma played 11 matches in IPL 2023 and amassed 343 runs at an average of 42.88 and a strike rate of 164.11.

His performances in the marquee tournament saw him earn a national call-up for the upcoming West Indies tour. Varma was named in the T20I squad and his inclusion comes at a time when the Indian team is nearing transition.

With Varma’s inclusion came massive praise from former Australian cricketer Brad Hogg. The 52-year-old came forward and opined that he is “really impressed” with Varma, having spent some time with the young batter at Mumbai Indians.

“I am really impressed with Tilak Varma, I spent a bit of time with MI just before the IPL 2023, and I just loved the way he studied opposition bowlers. I think he is a man for every situation. He can bat anywhere in the order,” Brad Hogg said in a video on his YouTube channel.

Hogg also talked about his Indian line-up for the T20I series as star players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have not been named in the squad so young bloods like Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill will be keen on stepping up to the occasion.

“Gill and Jaiswal both have high strike rates, love facing fast bowlers, and really take the game on in the powerplay. I think Samson really stabilises the innings at No. 3. There is not one bowler that fazes Suryakumar Yadav, so he comes in at No. 4,” Hogg said.