India, Feb 05 : India all rounder Tilak Varma has made an unexpected early comeback to the national side after recovering from an injury, expressing gratitude to the BCCI and the Centre of Excellence (CoE) for accelerating his return. Speaking after India’s warm-up match against South Africa, Tilak said the packed DY Patil Stadium and roaring fans provided a huge confidence boost as the team gears up for the T20 World Cup.
“To be honest, I did not expect to be back this early. Really thankful to COE and BCCI. The crowd chanting my name was amazing it really motivated me,” Tilak said, describing the electric atmosphere and the aggressive batting around him as inspiration.
In the high-scoring warm-up match at Navi Mumbai, India batted first and posted 240/5. Explosive starts from Ishan Kishan (53 off 20 balls) and Abhishek Sharma set the tone, with Tilak contributing a rapid 45 off 19 deliveries. Captain Suryakumar Yadav joined Tilak in a 66 run stand, while late cameos from Axar Patel, Rinku Singh, and Hardik Pandya (30 off 10 balls) propelled India to a formidable total.
South Africa’s chase faltered early with George Linde dismissed for a duck by Arshdeep Singh. Though Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton stitched together a brief 65-run partnership, wickets tumbled in quick succession, and India secured a 30-run victory.
Tilak’s comeback and performance in the warm up match have boosted confidence within the squad ahead of their T20 World Cup opener against the USA on Saturday.