Tilak Varma’s inspiring journey to the IPL has touched many hearts. 19-year-old, Varma had an impressive IPL debut with MI.

He scored 397 runs at a strike rate of 131.02 in the 2022 season, the most by a teenager in the IPL. This record-breaking performance even surpassed Rishabh Pant’s record of 366 runs in 2017.

Sunil Gavaskar and Rohit Sharma are just two of the many voices who have praised Varma’s performance. As both have stated that he could become an “all-format batter” for India.

Tilak Varma’s inspiring journey from a young child playing tennis ball cricket to an up-and-coming cricket star could be seen as motivation. It all started when Varma’s childhood coach, Salam Bayash, spotted the then 11-year-old playing with his friends at Barkas ground in the old city of Hyderabad.

Impressed by his style of batting. Bayash contacted Varma’s father, Namboori Nagaraju, requesting that he enroll Tilak at his academy as he saw potential in the youngster.

However, being an electrician by profession, Nagaraju was hesitant to allow his son to indulge in cricket owing to their financial constraints. Bayash convinced Nagaraju to enroll Tilak, offering to waive the fees and provide transport for the young cricketer.

“His father didn’t agree initially because of their financial constraints. Their house was 2 kilometres from my place, and I said I would take on the responsibility of Tilak’s transport. You don’t have to pick him up and drop him off every day, and I will also waive his fees. Then they agreed,” Salam Bayash said in an interview with the Indian Express.

Tilak Varma’s Inspiring Journey to The IPL

Despite the academy being 40 kilometres from his home, Varma rarely missed a day’s practice because his coach would ferry him the entire distance on his bike. Every day, Bayash would pick up Varma at 5 am and take him to the academy.

Financial difficulties were another obstacle that Varma faced. He didn’t have proper cricketing gear and even scored his first century with a borrowed bat. The coach offered a solution, setting targets for Varma to achieve and promising to buy him a new bat if he met them.

Fast forward four years, Varma’s cricketing talent shone in the Vijay Merchant Trophy. As he amassed over 900 runs for Hyderabad, earning a spot in the state’s Ranji Trophy probables. With his persistence and hard work, Varma made his long-awaited debut for Hyderabad in the prestigious Ranji Trophy in 2019.

In the IPL 2022, during a game between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at Wankhede, Varma celebrated his match-winning performance by folding his hands towards his coach.

His coach was watching him play from the stands. Bayash later revealed that he had scolded Varma before the game for throwing away his wicket. But he did finish the job and dedicated his victory to his coach.

Tilak Varma’s inspiring journey highlights the important role that coaches play in shaping the lives of young athletes. With Bayash’s guidance and support, Varma was able to overcome financial and logistical obstacles and fulfill his potential.

As Varma continues to make a name for himself in Indian cricket, his journey is sure to inspire other young cricketers to chase their dreams.

The post Tilak Varma’s Inspiring Journey: From Borrowed Bats to IPL Stardom appeared first on The12thMan.