Tilak Verma led South Zone into the Duleep Trophy final, but why does he still have a regret?
Bengaluru: Hyderabad-born 23-year-old left-handed middle-order batter Tilak Verma has already played a total of 64 matches for India, yet he still regrets not having played a Test for the country.
Tilak has represented India in five ODIs and 59 T20Is, but despite being 36 months into his international career, he is yet to play a single Test match. That remains a disappointment for him.
Tilak has been included in India’s squad for the T20I series against Afghanistan beginning September 13. However, he is very keen to play in the five-day Duleep Trophy final in Chennai from September 6 to 10. If he plays the final, he will have to join the T20I squad in Delhi just two days later.
Two big innings took South Zone into the final
In the four-day Duleep Trophy semi-final, South Zone, led by Tilak Verma, defeated North Zone by seven wickets.
After North Zone were bowled out for 195 in their first innings, South Zone scored 312, with Tilak Verma contributing an unbeaten century 116 not out off 250 balls and Shreyas Gopal scoring 87 off 169 balls.
After North Zone made 297 in their second innings, South Zone chased down the target by scoring 182 for three, with Tilak Verma again playing a key role with an unbeaten half-century, 51 not out off 79 balls, to seal a place in the final.
South Zone will face Ishan Kishan’s East Zone in the five-day final beginning in Chennai on Sunday, September 6. East Zone entered the final by defeating defending champions Central Zone by four wickets on Tuesday.
What was meant to happen, happened
Tilak Verma has played a total of 24 first-class matches, including Ranji Trophy and Duleep Trophy fixtures in the four- and five-day format. However, he remains disappointed that he has not yet got an opportunity to play Test cricket.
Speaking to reporters after South Zone’s victory in Bengaluru on Wednesday, Tilak said, “I have always loved playing red-ball cricket. I had never imagined that I would play limited-overs white-ball cricket for India, but perhaps that was what God had destined for me. I have already made my T20I and ODI debuts for India, but my real ability lies in playing red-ball cricket in the Test format.”
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IPL gave him an opportunity in white-ball cricket
Tilak also said, “People may not know this, but I have worked extremely hard since childhood to play red-ball cricket in the Test format. The IPL gave me the opportunity to play white-ball cricket, but before that, I had put in a lot of hard work in red-ball cricket and first-class matches. Red-ball cricket is my real strength. I love playing that format; it is something that has always been in my blood.”
Keen desire to break into India’s Test team
Tilak Verma has scored more than 1,700 international runs overall. He also told reporters, “To be honest, over the last three or four years, because of the busy schedule of T20 and ODI cricket, I have not been able to play red-ball cricket, including the Ranji Trophy. That is why I am now playing as much red-ball cricket as possible and trying to score as many runs as I can so that I can earn a place in India’s Test team.”