Former India headcoach Ravi Shastri heaps praise on youngster after his exploits in the IPL 2023

Ravi Shastri, a former India head coach, praised Tilak Varma's Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 exploits and expressed surprise if the Mumbai Indians rookie did not play for India within the following six to eight months.

The newly-assigned number three batter, Tilak Varma, shared a 68-run partnership with the captain, Rohit Sharma, and produced an important 41 off 29 balls. The departure of Varma, whose 41-run knock featured one four and four sixes, precipitated a mini-collapse in which Suryakumar Yadav fell off the next delivery and Rohit Sharma soon after. The triumph for MI was then made possible by Cameron Green and Tim David.

‘He has got the maturity; he has got the flare’ - Ravi Shastri

"India player already. This guy is an Indian player and I would be very surprised if he does not play T20 cricket for India in the next six months or eight months. He has got the maturity, he has got the flare. He will make a world of difference to the Indian middle order," Ravi Shastri said while speaking on Star Sports. "He is just 20 years of age, the kind of maturity he is showing, is someone who is much older than that. It is very positive, not only from the Mumbai point of view but from the India point of view as well," Shastri added.

After two losses in a row, Mumbai needed this victory badly, while Delhi's season took a turn for the worst with their fourth consecutive loss. As Rohit sprinted down the track to bowler Mukesh Kumar in the first over of the innings and pulled him for a six over mid-wicket, one might anticipate a remarkable knock. At the Feroz Shah Kotla, it was clear that Rohit is the best puller in the game. Even better, he pulled Anrich Nortje off the front foot and went wide long-on on his second six. Next in IPL 2023, DC will play Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on April 15 in Bengaluru, while MI will next play Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on April 16 in Mumbai.