• Home
  • Who Said What
  • Dont Let Tilak Varma Be In World Cup Playing Xi Ex Openers Explosive Remark

'Don't Let Tilak Varma Be in World Cup Playing XI', Ex-Opener's Explosive Remark

image-lloudv31Tilak Varma [X.com]

India's dress rehearsal for the ODI World Cup begins with the Asia Cup 2023, which commences on August 30. Led by Rohit Sharma, the Men in Blue will kickstart their campaign with a high-voltage clash against Pakistan in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, on September 2. While the eyes will be on the stalwarts, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, a few youngsters, including Tilak Varma, will be keen to prove their mettle in the ODI setup. 

Talking about Varma, the stylish southpaw has received his maiden ODI call-up for the Asia Cup. So, if he impresses the selectors, he could be in contention for a spot in the upcoming World Cup on home soil. 

However, legendary opener Kris Srikkanth believes India shouldn't consider Varma in their World Cup playing XI. As quoted by India Today, the former chief selector opined that India should test Varma in a few bilateral ODI series before picking him for marquee events. 

'Groom Tilak for the next ODI World Cup'- Kris Srikkanth

"Tilak Varma, the point that I'm making was also conveyed by Ganguly. Don't give him a debut in a big tournament. First, let him play a few ODI series. Ganguly also had the same point of view," Srikkanth said.

"Tilak Varma has fantastic potential. He is a brilliant player. But don't let him be in the playing lineup for the World Cup. Let him play in a few ODI series and then the upcoming T20 World Cup and groom him till the next ODI World Cup. There is something called grooming a youngster," he added.

Varma had a stellar outing in his debut T20I series in the Caribbean, garnering 173 runs at a magnificent average of 57.67 and a blistering strike rate of 140.65. 

However, he recorded two consecutive failures in the subsequent series against Ireland, managing a solitary run across two outings. With Shreyas Iyer returning, the chances of him making it to India's final eleven in the Asia Cup looks slim.