Tilak Varma claimed to have an Indian Premier League (IPL)-related muscle breakdown. Nevertheless, the southpaw did not quit domestic cricket in order to give his body time to heal. This made him overwork himself and worsened the situation.
Tilak claimed that during a match in Bangladesh in the 2022 trip, he was injured and had no choice but to retire during the game. During this period, the young hitter had signed with the Mumbai Indians, and he recalls Akash Ambani approaching the Board of Control in Cricket in India (BCCI) in an attempt to help him in his therapy. Tilak explained that his health would have been at risk in case he would have gotten to the hospital later.
“I was playing an India A game in Bangladesh. After a point my eyes became watery, I was not even able to lift the bat and all my nerves were hard. I retired hurt and came out. Akash Ambani called me right away. He spoke to the BCCI and they helped me a lot. At the hospital, they told me it could have gotten worse if I had come even a few hours late. It was that bad. Even the needle was not going in. I just wanted to come out alive,” Tilak said on ‘Breakfast with Champions’.
Tilak Varma reveals coach’s inspiring prediction about his rise to the top
Tilak stated that his youth coach told him he would be a great player even before he was selected for the Hyderabad team. The 22-year-old explained that his hardness stemmed from his early challenges.
“My coach told me that he knew I would make it big and become the number one player. He would tell me this even when I had not started playing for Hyderabad yet. Many people also went against me and told things to my coach. But he never listened to anyone and worked a lot on me. There were times when I even fell at people’s feet asking for just one opportunity to play. That made me a hard person. People say I do well under pressure. But I have seen such things that make me hard and all this feels like nothing,” he said.
Tilak was instrumental in the 2025 Asia Cup final, where his calm and composed half-century against Pakistan enabled the Men in Blue win a low-scoring thriller in Dubai. He will return to action for the Indian squad in the five-match T20I series against Australia, which begins on Wednesday, October 29.
