South Zone captain Tilak Varma made his intentions clear for his maiden India Test call-up, stating that red-ball cricket remains his biggest strength despite enjoying fame through white-ball formats.
Speaking to reporters after the Duleep Trophy semi–final clash against North Zone, Tilak clarified that he always loved playing red-ball cricket. Notably, the left-handed batter scored two unbeaten knocks of 116 and 51 in the semi-final, propelling his side to a seven-wicket win.
“I have always loved to play red-ball cricket, and I have never dreamt of playing white-ball formats for India, but that’s God’s plan. I have debuted in T20s and ODIs for India, but my strength has always been red-ball cricket,” Tilak said to reporters via TOI.
“I have worked hard, no one has seen it, maybe since I was 10 years old, and now I am 23. I got selected to white-ball formats due to the IPL. But before that I have ground a lot in red-ball cricket. So, it’s always my strength and I love playing Test cricket, something that’s always there in my blood,” he added.
The Hyderabad batter has racked up 1729 runs at an average of 55.77 in 24 first-class games, including eight centuries and six half-centuries. Tilak reckoned that his limited domestic red-ball appearances are due to the crowded international calendar.
“For my country, right now, I am available for T20s and ODIs, but I love to play red-ball cricket. But I don’t have much time to play domestic red-ball cricket because in the last three-four years I was trying to play the Ranji Trophy,” he noted.
“But I am not getting the time because I have an international schedule. So, I am trying to play as much red-ball cricket because I want to score there and come to the Indian side as well,” he concluded.
