IPL 2022: Shastri feels Tilak Varma has the potential to make it big

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Bengaluru, April 6: Mumbai Indians batter Tilak Varma has been very impressive in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season despite the five-time champions yet to get their campaign on track.

Son of an electrician, Varma made headlines he was picked for Rs 1.7 crore by the Mumbai-based franchise during IPL auction in February and in a short span of time has caught the attention of all with encomiums pouring from all quarters including that of former Indian coach Ravi Shastri.

"He has shown a lot of potential in both the innings he has played for Mumbai Indians. I am impressed looking at his wide range of shots- front foot, back foot, sweep. There's a lot of variation in his shot selection," Shastri said on Cricket Live show on Star Sports, the official broadcaster of IPL 2022.

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Tilak's 61 in a losing cause to Rajasthan Royals had garnered a lot of attention, especially after head coach Mahela Jayawardena showered him with glowing praise.

Hailing from a humble background, Tilak has hit the ground running for Mumbai Indians. The 19-year-old came into the auction with a base price of Rs 20 lakhs. Mumbai Indians fended off the likes of Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings to bag his services for Rs. 1.7crores, which the youngster is justifying with his performance in IPL 2022.

"His composure, body language and temperament is very good for a young player. He's batted very confidently. This player has the potential to go ahead," Shastri added.

Mumbai Indians have so far looked like anything but IPL's five-time champions, losing both their opening games - first against Delhi Capitals by four wickets and then against a resurgent Rajasthan Royals by 23 runs.

Hence, they will be keen to open their account when they take on Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday (April 6) at the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) Stadium in Pune.

Skipper Rohit Sharma will seek improvements on multiple fronts to effect a turnaround when they face KKR, who come into the game after beating Punjab Kings by six wickets.

Shastri opined that Tilak along with Suryakumar Yadav will make the Mumbai Indians' middle-order strong.

"Tilak Varma has shown positive intent with his batting and these are good signs for Mumbai Indians. Once Suryakumar Yadav is back in the playing eleven, Mumbai's middle-order will be strong."

If Mumbai have to post score or chase a big total, which is likely at the MCA stadium Rohit and Ishan Kishan would need to fire on all cylinders.

They have badly missed the services of Suryakumar, who is known for playing many a match-winning knocks for the franchise.

Suryakumar has recovered from his finger injury but it remains to be seen whether he plays or not with with Rohit remaining non-committal about his availability.

While the emergence of unheralded Tilak, who smashed 61 off 33 balls to take MI to 81 in eight overs against Royals, was a big positive, the team still could not chase down a total of 193, which is a cause of worry.

The match starts at 7.30pm IST