India's Tilak Varma greets fans after India won the Asia Cup cricket final against Pakistan at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)Mumbai Indians batter Tilak Varma revealed an unknown incident where he was diagnosed with a condition called Rhabdomyolysis, where he said that his muscles broke down due to the lack of rest and overstraining himself.
“After the first IPL, I had some problems with my health. I haven’t told this anywhere before. I was diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis, a condition where muscles break down. At that time I wanted to be in the Test team and I was also playing domestic. I was also playing India A plus there were also camps. The rest days in between, I was doing gym. Because I wanted to be the fittest player in the World Cup, wanted to be the fastest and best fielder. These were in my mind so I didn’t take care of my recovery. Even if you take ice baths and was sleeping as well, but the body did not recover. It needs rest for proper recovery. So I was pushing myself on rest days as well. So my muscles got overstrained and they broke down,” Varma said on the ‘Breakfast with Champions’ show on YouTube.
“What happened here is that my nerves and everything went hard. So at that time Mumbai Indians were beside me. I was playing in the India A series vs Bangladesh. I played 100 balls and my eyes started watering. I couldn’t lift the bat. Even my fingers weren’t moving. My nerves went tight, everything was hardened. It was like stone. So I retired hurt and I came out. My gloves had to be cut because I couldn’t move my fingers. I got a call from Akash bhai (Akash Ambani). He talked to BCCI and they helped a lot. I went to the hospital straight away and they said that if it was delayed even a few hours, it would have been pretty dangerous. The IV needles were not going in and was breaking. My mother was with me in the hospital. She used to feed me. I am thankful to god that I came back from this,” he added.
Rhabdomyolysis is a severe condition where muscle tissue rapidly breaks down, releasing harmful toxins into the bloodstream, potentially causing kidney damage. It is often triggered by extreme workouts, dehydration, or overheating.
Symptoms include severe muscle pain, weakness, dark-coloured urine, and, in some cases, breathing difficulties that can lead to respiratory failure.
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