Tilak Varma: Hyderabads newest cricket sensation

When India took on Pakistan within the last of the seventeenth version of the Asia Cup on Sunday (September 28, 2025), the hopes of a billion folks have been pinned on Tilak Varma. The 22-year-old stood robust after the Men in Blue misplaced three wickets with simply 20 runs on the board.

With an unbeaten knock of 69, he helped India beat its arch-rival for the third time within the event and elevate the continental title for the ninth time in historical past. Back in Hyderabad, the locals celebrated the victory and the town lad’s exhilarating efficiency.

Tilak Varma was born on November 8, 2002, in Hyderabad. His father, Namboori Nagaraju, who labored as an electrician, and his mom, Gayatri Devi, supported his curiosity and expertise in cricket regardless of scarce assets.

First-class debut on the age of 16

He caught the attention of coach Salim Bayash on the age of 11, who taught him the ropes on the Legala Cricket Academy in Lingampally. Such was the 22-year-old’s expertise that he made his first-class debut on the age of 16 for Hyderabad within the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy. He quickly represented the State throughout codecs, making his T20 (2019 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy) and List A (2019 Vijay Hazare Trophy) debuts in 2019. Tilak’s performances even noticed him make it to the Indian squad for the 2020 Under-19 World Cup.

The massive break in his profession got here when Mumbai Indians parted with ₹1.7 crore to signal him on the 2022 IPL auctions. In his maiden IPL marketing campaign, he scored 397 runs and has solely continued to enhance since. Along the best way, he even turned the primary cricketer to attain three successive centuries in T20s.

ODI debut in 2023

Tilak made an immediate influence with India, too. He made his debut in August 2023 in opposition to West Indies and top-scored for India (39) in that match. By the tip of the sequence, he was India’s highest run-scorer and have become the second-youngest Indian to attain a half-century in T20s. He later made his ODI debut in September 2023, throughout the Asia Cup.