WATCH: Tilak Varma Makes Blazing Debut After Remarkable Catch But India Falter In Chase

Young Tilak Varma notched up 39 in 22 balls but India lost the first T20I match vs West Indies by 4 runs on Thursday.

Tilak Varma bats during his T20I debut against West Indies in Trinidad. (Photo: AP)

Young Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians batter Tilak Varma is just 20 years of age and the year 2023 has been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride for him. The young batter scored 343 runs for the five-time champions MI in IPL 2023 with a strike-rate of 164.11 fulfilling his role as an ‘Impact Player’ in style.

Tilak Varma’s brilliant show in IPL 2023 earned him a maiden call-up in the Team India side for the five-match T20I series against the West Indies which got underway on Thursday. Tilak made his debut in the first T20I and left an immediate impact on everyone although Team India lost their 200th T20I match by 4 runs to the hosts Windies.

The youngster top-scored for India with 39 off 22 balls with three sixes and 2 fours after India had lost opener Shubman Gill and Ishan Kishan early in their chase of 150 to win.

WATCH Tilak Varma’s brilliant debut in first T20I vs West Indies HERE…

Takes a blinder.
Hits back to back sixes to kick off his innings.
A dashing debut for Tilak Varma _#INDvWIAdFreeonFanCode #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/VpcKOyfMSR — FanCode (@FanCode) August 3, 2023

He also took a brilliant diving catch of Johnson Charles off Kuldeep Yadav in the first innings to leave immediate impact on the match. “It was very pleasing to see the way he started his innings. Not a bad way to start your international cricket with a couple of sixes. There’s confidence and the fearlessness they have. They are going to do wonders for India,” skipper Hardik Pandya said about Tilak Varma.

"__ _______ _______."@TilakV9

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.#INDvWIAdFreeonFanCode #WIvIND pic.twitter.com/1O9KQsBOOx — FanCode (@FanCode) August 3, 2023

But brilliant bowling spells by Romario Sheperd, Jason Holder and Obed McCoy, particularly in death overs helped a calm West Indies clinch a thrilling four-run win over India in the first T20I of the five-match series at Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday. WI now has a 1-0 lead in the series.

In a chase of 150 runs, India did not get off to the most ideal start. Shubman Gill’s mixed-bag tour of the Windies continued with another failure as he was stumped by Nicholas Pooran on a delivery by Akael Hosein for three of nine balls. India was 5/1 in 2.2 overs.

Suryakumar Yadav was next up on the crease and he immediately attacked Akael and Alzarri Joseph, smashing Hosein for a four and Alzarri for a four and six.  In the fifth over, Kishan handed WI skipper Rovman Powell an easy catch at mid-on on a delivery by Obed McCoy. The batter's struggles in T20Is continued as he could score only six in nine balls. India was 28/2 in 4.5 overs.

Tilak Varma, the debutant walked in at number four. He got his first runs by smacking a 143 kmph delivery by Alzarri for a six over deep mid-wicket, following it with another maximum over the deep square leg on a 146 kmph delivery.  In the eighth over, Tilak chose Romario Shepherd for attacking, smashing him for a four and six.

(with ANI inputs)