Former India chief selector believes Tilak Varma can be India’s X factor in ODI World Cup 2023

India will host the ODI World Cup this year, which is set to start on October 5. Currently, Team India is playing a 5-match T20I series against the West Indies. So far in the first 3 matches of the series, the 20-year-old left-hander Tilak Verma has impressed a lot with his bat. He made his international debut in the T20 series against West Indies and performed very well.

Due to this, former Chief Selector of India MSK Prasad has given a big statement about him. Prasad, who was the head of the Indian selection committee during the last ODI World Cup, believes that a player like Verma is capable to do well in the ODI format as well. He even believes that if somehow Shreyas Iyer fails to make it to the Indian squad for the ODI World Cup, then the management can think about Varma.

“Look at his List A record for Hyderabad. He has played 25 List-A games and has an average of 55 plus (56.18). Five hundreds and five half-centuries. It means at least 50 per cent times he is converting fifties into hundreds. A strike rate of 100 plus. I think it won’t be a bad idea provided Shreyas (Iyer) can’t make it. Only then you can think of Varma. But I am sure he will be a white ball regular for India across formats going forward.” Prasad was quoted as saying by Sportstar

Will they think about Tilak Varma as an option: R Ashwin

Varma did wonders in the recently concluded 16th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He scored a total of 343 runs in 11 matches at an average of 42.88. During this, he scored a half-century. Varma scored runs at an overall strike rate of 164.11. In the 2022 season of IPL, he scored 397 runs in 14 matches at an average of 36.09. R Ashwin also talked about Varma’s possible participation in the ODI World Cup.

“This is neck-and-neck with respect to the World Cup. So, will they think about Tilak Varma as an option if we don’t have enough backups? Because Sanju Samson has performed really well in ODIs. But the exciting part about Tilak Varma is that he is a left-hander and Team India is lacking left-handers. Jaddu (Ravindra Jadeja) is the only left-handed batter in the top 7,” Ashwin said.