Mumbai Indians rookie batter Tilak Varma was a tad disappointed after he could not bat till the end against Rajasthan Royals in the ninth match of the ongoing Indian Premier League 2022 at the Dr.
DY Patil Sports Academy, Mumbai on Saturday. The youngster scored an impressive knock of 61 runs off just 33 balls but could not take his team over the line in the run-chase of 194 runs.
Varma added 81 runs with Ishan Kishan for the third wicket alliance during the run-chase. The left-hander timed the ball with perfection and he has impressed in the opening two matches.
Varma was settled and looking good to go all the way but he was bowled by veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin at a crucial junction, which tilted the game in Rajasthan Royals’ favor.
Tilak Varma said in a video uploaded on MI’s social media handles: “It would have been nice had I stayed to finish the game. I will try to do so in upcoming matches. I will talk to Sachin (Tendulkar) sir, Mahela (Jayawardene) sir and Rohit (Sharma) bhai and ask them how I can improve.”
The southpaw added that the team will look to bounce back stronger after losing their opening two matches.
“Every game is a new game. This knock of 61 is now a thing of the past. The aim is to help the team win. Every game starts from zero. Winning and losing is a part of the game. We will bounce back strongly in the next game and look to play well.”
Varma is only 19 years and 145 days old and became the youngest MI batter to score an IPL fifty to write his name in the franchise’s history books.
“I am very happy to know that I have become the youngest Mumbai Indians (MI) player to score a fifty. First of all, I am playing for my favorite franchise. And then, to become the youngest player to score a fifty for them makes me very happy.”
In fact, Rohit Sharma also stated that it would have been nice if either Ishan Kishan or Tilak Varma had batted till the end. Mumbai Indians will next face Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune.
