With scores of 116*, 51* and 99 from each of his three innings in the 2026 Duleep Trophy, Tilak Varma continues to polish his red-ball credentials. His captaincy has also been in the spotlight, with the youngster leading South Zone into the final of the zonal competition following on his impressive showing for India A during the Sri Lanka tour recently.
His excellent red-ball form may not translate into a title triumph in the Duleep Trophy, with East Zone building a mammoth lead and just a day’s play remaining in the final now.
Tilak has already set for himself a new goal: winning the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan that starts this weekend in New Delhi.
The top-order batter will only have a couple of days to make the mental and technical
switch from red-ball to white-ball mode, but he’s quite confident.
“Yeah, the (personal) form has been really good. But at the same point, it’s a different format (against Afghanistan). So, I should change my gears again. I’m pretty confident about it,” Tilak said on Wednesday.
“My goal now is to win the Afghanistan series. So I’ll be going with the same confidence and let’s see how it goes,” he added.
That doesn’t mean getting into the T20 mode will be an easy task.
“I would not say it is that easy, but we have got a couple of days to practise. We have also changed from red ball to white ball in both domestic and international cricket. So, this is also the same thing,” he said.
“I have played Ranji Trophy earlier, and from there I went to the international white-ball series. I got adjusted to it. So, yeah, I’m confident that two days of practise is enough and from there we can go for the Afghanistan series,” he added.
Tilak’s Favourite Format
While he has made a name for himself in international cricket mostly playing T20Is, Tilak’s favourite format remains red-ball cricket. In 24 first-class matches, the 23-year-old has 1729 runs at an average of 55.77.
He has eight centuries and six fifties to his name.
“I have started my cricketing career professionally with red-ball cricket. But if you have seen me since the last few years, I have been playing white ball cricket a lot,” he said.
“But as I said, red ball has always been my favourite game, so it’s my A Game. But since the last five, six years, I have been really good with the white ball also,” he added.
Learning Continues
Tilak has been entrusted with leadership roles both in domestic and international level. And he’s continuing to grow as a captain.
“It’s been a lot of learning because if you see now, we have got quite a few youngsters (in South Zone), and also India A when I led the side, we were also quite a young side,” Tilak said.
“When you have great talents and that eagerness to win from each and every individual, then it is easy for the captain. There are many things I can learn as a captain. I keep growing as a captain, and right now I’m just enjoying it,” he added.
