'Always Dreamed Of This,' Tilak Verma On Inclusion in ODI Squad for Asia Cup

Tilak Varma shares his feelings after he received his maiden ODI call-up

Tilak Varma speaks about his Asia Cup 2023 selection

(Photo: PTI)

As the BCCI announced the 17-member squad for Asia Cup that starts next week, they made one surprise pick by adding the name of young Tilak Varma who is yet to play an ODI for India. Having made his T20I debut in August during the tour of West Indies, this is also Tilak's first ODI call up.

Presently in Ireland as part of India's T20I squad for the three-match series, Tilak spoke about his selection in a video shared by the BCCI.

'I never dreamt that I will be debuting directly in the Asia Cup, that too in the one-day side. I was obviously dreaming that I would be debuting for India in ODIs but this is a big thing for me. I always dreamt for this, like playing for India in ODIs. In a single year, I got my T20 debut and suddenly in the next month, I am getting a call for Asia Cup also. Yeah, It’s one of my dreams and I am just preparing for it,' he said.

Varma also spoke about the support he has gotten from the Team India skipper Rohit Sharma, who also captains the IPL team Mumbai Indians, which Tilak is a part of. 

“Rohit bhai always backed me. When I was playing in the IPL also, he used to come to me. I was a bit nervous when I was in the IPL at the start so he only himself came near me and talked about the game and said that always enjoy your game and always feel free whenever you want to talk. You can come anytime to me or text me. I’ll be there for you anytime,” he said. 

“With that, I have expressed myself in IPL and I am expressing everywhere. I always talk to him. Every time he said only one thing, ‘enjoy your game’. So that’s what I am doing. I am very happy that I am in Asia Cup squad. I want to do well there as well as I want to enjoy what I am doing now, I want to enjoy there as well,” he further added.

Tilak believes that with his one-day cricket experience in domestic and U19 cricket, will help him do well in the ODI format as well. “I am pretty confident playing one-day cricket because I have been playing one-day cricket for a long time. As you said, I have done well in List A cricket for my state, and in the U19s also, I have done well. So I am pretty confident that I can do well in ODIs and I am looking forward to it,” he said while speaking to BCCI. 

Asia Cup 2023 will be hosted in a hybrid model with four matches to be played in Pakistan while the remaining nine matches will be played in Sri Lanka. India has been grouped along with Pakistan and Nepal in the Group A. The tournament will start on 30 August, 2023, with the final on 17 September.