Do not give Tilak Varma a debut in a big tournament like World Cup: Kris Srikkanth

Tilak Varma is set for his ODI debut after an impressive T20I series in the West Indies in which he scored 173 runs in five matches including a fifty. The memorable international debut series also led to a maiden ODI call-up for the young batter who is now part of the 17-member Asia Cup 2023 squad.

With Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul returning to the squad and Suryakumar Yadav also competing for a spot in the Indian middle-order, there’s a good chance, Tilak may not get to make his ODI debut in the Asia Cup.

Tilak’s selection in the Asia Cup squad however has been made with an eye on the ODI World Cup 2023 as Iyer and Rahul have just returned from long injury layoffs. However, if Tilak doesn’t get a chance in the Asia Cup, India may not have many opportunities to gauge his usefulness to the side ahead of the World Cup.

Former World Cup winner Kris Srikkanth feels that Tilak should get an opportunity in the Asia Cup as he is against giving a debut to someone in a World Cup.

“Do not give Tilak Varma a debut in a big tournament, play him in the ODI series before that,” Krishnamachari Srikkanth said on his YouTube channel.

“Tilak Varma is promising. Asia Cup is a big opportunity for him. We saw some real promise not only in terms of performances but also temperament during the T20I series against West Indies. This will give him exposure,” he added.

Srikkanth further explained that despite Tilak’s talent, the left-hand batter needs to be groomed properly before being picked in the World Cup squad.

“Tilak has fantastic potential, a brilliant player — but he has to play a couple of one-day series before putting him in the WC squad. We need to groom him properly,” Srikkanth added.

India start their Asia Cup campaign with a blockbuster match against Pakistan on 3 September.