"He has been phenomenal for the franchise since day one. Tilak has a mature head on his shoulder, and he doesn’t look like a new entrant to the IPL. This guy has the potential to lead Mumbai Indians in the future," Harbhajan was quoted as saying by Crictoday.
Notably, Varma played another crucial knock of 34* in 32 balls, to help Mumbai Indians defeat their arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede on Thursday. Rohit Sharma's side had been reduced to 33/4 at one stage of their chase, and even though MI required only 98 runs to win the contest, they appeared to be in a tough spot.
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Then, Tilak Varma and Hrithik Shokeen struck up a much-needed partnership to ride out the storm, and help their side over the line.
Smile for the if classy drives & pleasing shots are your thing!#OneFamily #DilKholKe #MumbaiIndians #CSKvMI @BrevisDewald @TilakV9 pic.twitter.com/veczT10Jiu
— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) May 13, 2022
Skipper Rohit himself was impressed with Varma's contributions, saying that he can be an all-format player for India in the future.
"He (Tilak) has been brilliant, playing for the first year, having such a calm head is never easy. I feel he’s going to be an all-format player for India pretty soon. He’s got the technique and temperament. A lot of things are looking bright for him. And there’s hunger as well," said 'The Hitman' during the post-match presentation.