The Indian debutant's Mumbai Indians teammate and friend made it a point to congratulate him over a video call after his successful initiation in Trinidad T20I.
Tilak Varma had his Mumbai Indians (MI) teammate and friend Dewald Brevis brimming with excitement and proud to see him make a highly impressive debut for India in the opening T20I of the West Indies series in Trinidad on Thursday (August 3).
Brevis felt “goosebumps” to see Varma smash Caribbean pacer Alzarri Joseph for a pair of maximums to kick-off his maiden international innings during the Indian run-chase. The left-hander made them look easier than they were, dispatching the two short balls for sixes to the mid-wicket region.
It wasn’t just the hitting abilities but also strong game awareness in how he manipulated the field and opposition plans throughout his 39 off 22 that stood out about the youngster’s top-level initiation and laid bare promise of a successful India T20I career.
Varma had been touted for the India cap for the last two seasons after enjoying fruitful successive campaigns in MI jersey in the Indian Premier League (IPL). He made 397 runs at a strike-rate of 131.02 in his first year with the franchise in IPL 2022 and backed it up with 343 runs at an even more impressive rate of 164.11.
The fact that his average, too, improved drastically from 36.09 during IPL 2022 to 42.88 in IPL 2023 reflected brightly on Tilak Varma upskilling his range and showcased greater prowess to handle both pace and spin, leaving himself primed for consideration in an in-transition Indian T20I outfit.
Through the IPL, young Indian cricketers are not only able to learn on the go by rubbing shoulders with the best playing talent and seeking guidance from the most experienced, big-name coaches but also form bonds that wouldn’t otherwise have been possible.
A special cross-continental friendship! 🇮🇳 🇿🇦
Tilak Varma 🤝 Dewald Brevis #TeamIndia | #WIvIND | @TilakV9 | @BrevisDewald pic.twitter.com/SLomVNjpCi
— BCCI (@BCCI) August 3, 2023
Varma has one such bond with South Africa’s rising young prodigy Brevis, who, too, is identified as one of MI’s brightest. That bond and friendship were on show through a clip shared by the BCCI where Brevis made it a point to video call Varma and congratulate him for his promising debut.
“Hey brother, I hope you are very excited. I don’t know if I am more excited than you, but I just want to say from my side and from the Brevis family, congratulations on your debut. It’s such a great moment for you and your family. I can just image how happy your parents and everyone must be. It’s great to see you out there, living your dream out,” Brevis said.
“It gave me goosebumps, that second and third ball. Now, just know that you always have my support and all the best for the rest of the series. I’m backing you fully and go win every game for India. Cheers brother,” he added.
