Mumbai Indians do not view me as a novice or rookie; they consistently help me develop as a player: Tilak Varma

The five-time champion Mumbai Indians started off to a rough start in the 16th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2023. After losing their first two games of the season, the team commanded by Rohit Sharma responded by winning their next three contests.

Despite an inconsistent season thus far, the performance of Indian batsman Tilak Varma has been the only constant for Mumbai. The 20-year-old exploded onto the scene during the IPL 2022, and he has been in scintillating form during the current season. Varma has been an integral part of Mumbai’s campaign thus far, scoring 214 runs in five IPL contests.

Recently, he reflected on his development as a player and praised the management of the Mumbai Indians for never making him feel like a rookie.

“In my first season (2022), I was a rookie, but since then, the team has always supported me. They do not view me as a rookie or a youthful member of the team. They consistently help me develop as a player. Consequently, it was relatively simple for me to manage, unlike the first season,” Tilak Varma stated at the press conference following the victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad.

“The team (Mumbai Indians) treats me so well that I never feel as though I’m competing in the IPL or any other tournament for the first time. I feel assured and at ease among the God of Cricket (Sachin Tendulkar), the Indian captain (Rohit Sharma), and everyone else,” he added.

Sir Sachin advised me to maintain a level head. Tilak Varma

Tilak Varma continued on the same topic by discussing the advice he receives from Mumbai legend Sachin Tendulkar and captain Rohit Sharma.

“Sachin sir instructed me to maintain a level head regardless of whether or not I score runs. “Rohit sir told me to put a smile on my face and give my all to my work, and then everything would be fine,” Varma said.

In the previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the 20-year-old was exceptional for the five-time champions. He scored 37 runs off of 17 deliveries and was instrumental in his team’s first innings total of 192 runs.