Mumbai Indians (MI) batting star and Team India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has made Tilak Varma a two-am buddy. No matter how early in the morning or late at night, the 34-year-old disclosed that the young cricket player always answers his phone.
Suryakumar and Varma have worked together at MI in IPL over a few seasons now. They are also teammates who represent India in T20I format. Since Suryakumar had a late international debut during March 2021, Varma achieved the same honour becoming a participant for India in a T20I against West Indies at Tarouba in August 2023.
In their recent episode of the chat show Who is the boss 2, which is hosted by former cricketer Harbhajan Singh, and his wife Geeta Basra a former actress, Suryakumar and his wife Devisha Shetty appeared. Through that process, the Indian T20I captain revealed himself on numerous aspects of his personal and career life. When he was asked to choose his 2 am friend he responded immediately and he said:
“Tilak Varma. I have called him at 4 am as well and at 6 am as well. Whatever odd hours I have called him at, he has always picked up the phone. He’s like a hyperball of energy. Call him anytime, he always picks up the phone. He’s the go-to man.”
Devisha also joined the interesting conversation and added:
“We keep telling him, take some rest. He’s always awake, anytime of the day. He’ll sleep at 5 am.”
A DREAM DEBUT FOR TILAK VARMA IN COUNTY CRICKET 👌
– Tilak came when Hampshire was 34/2 and then he smashed unbeaten 98 runs from 234 balls, A calm & composed innnings under pressure, he is making big statements in longer format as well. pic.twitter.com/sG9AwuiCUH
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) June 23, 2025Indian bowler Varma (22) has had quite the career of his own having played 25 T20Is with India and scoring 749 runs at a pretty high average of 49.93 and a strike rate of 155.07 assisted by two hundreds and three half-century knocks. The left hander has also played four ODIs in which he has scored 68 runs at an average of 22.66.
Considering his IPL performance, Varma played his debut in the year 2022 and till now has played total 54 matches on behalf of the team-Mumbai and has scored 1,499 runs at an average of 37.47,- strike rate of 144.41 with the assistance of eight half- centuries.
Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma had contrasting IPL 2025 campaigns
The Mumbai team kept both Varma and Suryakumar for the 2025 IPL season. With the willow, however, the two players had different luck. The season’s second-leading run scorer was Suryakumar. With five half-centuries and a top of 73*, he scored 717 runs at an average of 65.18 and a strike rate of 167.91 in 16 innings.
Varma, on the other hand, concluded the season with 343 runs in 13 innings at an average of 31.18 and a strike rate of 138.30, despite having only two fifties. During one of the games, he was even retired out.
