A series of uncanny coincidences connecting Suresh Raina and Tilak Varma have done the rounds on social media ever since the Hyderabadi lad cracked the IPL code in his debut season in 2022.
The string of similarities moved up a notch on Wednesday when Tilak scored his maiden T20I hundred at number three against South Africa, as did his idol Raina when he became the first Indian to record a T20I ton in 2010. Both the November-born left-handers made their T20I debuts at 20. They even managed a wicket with their part-time off-breaks in the first overs of their respective careers.
A hundred is deftly becoming the benchmark to contend for an Indian top-order spot now, with the 22-year-old Tilak marking the latest addition. Seven of the eight active India batters who have played at least 11 matches in the top four since 2023 have struck a century in the format.
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Even though Tilak may not be as much of a T20 connoisseur’s delight for his stroke-play as prime Raina was, the Centurion century may have helped Tilak turn an important corner. It may also bring the focus back on him among the fresh band of Indian southpaws in the white-ball arena. The lanky batter slyly masked his imperfections and sent the ball flying to the stands en route to a 51-ball hundred.
Batting at four in the first two games, Tilak had struggled to temper his innings and fell to spin, his primary adversary, on both occasions. Walking in at three after Sanju Samson’s blob in the first over only heightened the challenge. “Batting was not easy at the start. The ball was doing a bit and the wicket was two-paced initially,” Tilak observed.
Furthermore, facing the left-arm angle of Marco Jansen and the fiery Gerald Coetzee could have exposed Tilak’s weakness against short deliveries, particularly those that wound around the hips. A tendency to get himself to points of no return when the ball drops short has troubled him before.
Tilak had answers for all those concerns as he sped to bail India out of the initial wobble. With freer arms, courtesy of the width offered by Jansen, Tilak flayed his second delivery through backward point for four and followed up with a charged six in the same region next ball.
Though deliveries targeting his torso popped up quickly, the combustive mood of the partnership with Abhishek Sharma helped Tilak wriggle, swivel, shuffle and pull to a better grade at Supersport Park.
Tilak’s expressionless feet may liken him to Shivam Dube sometimes but his quirkier body helps to cover up with an effective reach. A staggered stance also deprives him of big hits frequented by other lefties between the square leg and the sightscreen down the ground. But Tilak would have been quite content with the fresh pastures he uncovered in the 180 degrees behind the wickets Wednesday night. Five of his seven maximums rose from the region covering backward square and backward point on either side of the strip. He also struck two fours in the area, including a reverse-lap shot over the keeper from a Coetzee knuckleball.
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As the quicks relented from a short-ball examination, Tilak found it easier to negotiate deliveries which denied him room to swing through the arc. From nowhere, the flick emerged as the most productive Tilak Varma shot of the evening, gathering 26 of his 107 runs, including two sixes.
His rejuvenated wrist-work even kept the tweakers off his pads. Keshav Maharaj and Aiden Markram, who dismissed him once each in Durban and Gqeberha, went progressively shorter and wider, enabling him to glide smoothly past his threats.
Markram’s loopy delivery on length even offered Tilak considerable time to launch the ball over the fence with an uncharacteristic reverse sweep. Maharaj operated with wider trajectories and Tilak’s cursor-like sideways shifts helped him draw out the drives and sweeps while still having the ball in his eyeline. Tilak took 31 off the spinners at a breezy 221.48 strike-rate, making up 21 percent of his career runs against the slower bowlers in one outing. The mauling upped his lowly 112.8 career strike against spin to a passable 126 range.
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Tilak loves his challenges and may have even visibly dominated a few on second viewing in the highlights package. It takes a horde of confidence to persuade a promotion over your captain — arguably the best T20I batter in the circuit — and deliver a hefty ton. It sparkles even further when the skipper announces the No.3 spot will be left for the youngster in the upcoming games.
“He came to me (in Gqeberha) and asked if he could bat at three. I said to him it was his day and to enjoy himself. I knew what he was capable of doing. He is batting at three going forward definitely (smiles). He asked for it, he delivered,” Suryakumar Yadav would later reveal.
After all, Tilak was honed early for the pressure deal. At 16, he was thrown to the deep end, opening the batting on Ranji Trophy debut for Hyderabad. In only his second full-fledged run last season, Tilak was the man they turned to for leadership to leave behind the ignominy of a Plate Group edition. That maturity and confidence are qualities better than a pristine-looking straight drive.
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