Tilak Verma talks about his new season of IPL Rohit Sharma, Dewald Brevis, and much more

Mumbai Indian player Tilak Verma has been one of the rising stars in this year’s IPL. He has been starting to emerge himself as one of the mainstay in the team for the near future.

He spoke highly of his captain Rohit Sharma and also the support of the coaching staff. How head coach Mahela Jayawardene and Zaheer Khan’s support have helped him become a better cricketer. Verma also spoke about the influence of his team member Dewald Brevis.

Speaking about Rohit Sharma, Verma mentioned how proud he was while receiving his debut cap from the captain.

“I always liked Rohit bhai, so getting the cap from him really pumped me up and gave me confidence,” Varma said. “He keeps telling me that I shouldn’t take pressure in any situation, and says, ‘The way you enjoy and play, keep enjoying your game that way. You’re young, this is the time to enjoy it. If you ever lose that, it doesn’t come back. So the more you enjoy yourself and play, positive things will come to you. If you feel the sad today, feel the pressure, and the match doesn’t go well, you won’t have the time to go back to a good space. So enjoy yourself. Bad days will come; good days will also come.’

“Right now, Mumbai Indians are having a bit of a down phase. We’re playing well, but due to small errors, we’re losing matches. So even now he tells me that I’m doing really well and I don’t need to change anything. ‘These things happen, and we will come back, you’re doing well, so keep enjoying yourself.’ He always tells me this, and it feels very nice.

He spoke about his head coach Mahela Jayawardene, and how his valuable advice and support brought so much improvement in his batting. He says,

“He talks to me about my batting and makes suggestions,” Varma shared. “If I back myself to play a shot and get out in a game, he tells me to not stop myself from playing that same shot in the next game. Because that is my scoring shot, so you can get out on it too, but you’ll get runs from it also. He makes one mentally strong.”

Verma also stressed the fact that how much character, technique, and belief, Rohit and Jayawardene bring, a player always needs a proper strategy and tactic for each game which is fulfilled by none other than Zaheer Khan.

“He keeps telling us to be aware of our surroundings in each match,” Varma said. “Every team is different, the bowlers are different, the strategy is different and the pitch is also different. Even if we play in the same ground, the breeze could be different on another day. So he advises us to get used to the surroundings and visualize, so that you can get used to them quicker. If you adapt to the situation, it becomes easier to navigate that situation. You don’t need to think too much; you will automatically get thoughts on how to handle it.”

Tilak has also made a strong bond with his teammate Dewald Brevis.

“We’re close off the field too,” smiles Varma. “Since we’re of similar ages, we gelled quickly. He’s often in my room, whenever we go somewhere we go together. Now we’re so close we understand each other very well too, on the field and off it. So it’s become very easy to bat with him in a match. The understanding is great, and we can go up to the other and tell him if something’s going wrong. That makes it very easy in a match. And when you are doing well on the field, automatically the bond becomes stronger off the field too.”

Tilak Verma remains one of the rising youngsters in this year’s IPL. His important knocks with the bat prove his ability to handle pressure and remain calm. Mumbai Indians are the perfect team for him as they are really good at nurturing young talent as we have seen in the past.