How Can Tilak Varma Add Value To Indian Middle Order In 2023 ICC World Cup? Dinesh Karthik Explains

New Delhi: Tilak Varma might be just seven T20Is old, but veteran Dinesh Karthik believes the youngster should be considered to fill the much-talked-about No.4 spot in the Indian batting lineup during the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 at home.

Varma, who showed consistent performances for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, was rewarded with the India call-up during the West Indies T20Is. The Hyderabad lad didn’t disappoint as he impressed everyone with his game awareness and temperament.

Varma even scored his maiden fifty in the second T20I against West Indies in a losing cause. The 20-year-old, who scored 343 runs for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023, played all five games against West Indies, scoring 173 runs – the highest among Indians in the T20I series.

“I was very impressed with Tilak Varma,” Karthik told ICC. “I think he showed different sorts of temperament to his batting at times he went all guns blazing up the order, then there was a game where he had to finish it off with Hardik Pandya and he did that as well.”

But where does Varma fit himself in that middle order? Karthik explained that being a left-hander will be an added advantage for Varma in that batting lineup which is stacked with right-handers.

“Do we need a left-hander? Do we look at Tilak Varma or is Suryakumar (Yadav) that option?,” Karthik questioned. “Is it wrong to say he (SKY) is just a right-hander because he plays all the types of sweeps that are available in the game and makes it really hard for the spinners?”

The 38-year-old wicketkeeper also opined Varma’s off-spin also adds value to the Indian team. “More important is that he can add off-spin and we have not had somebody who can roll their arm over so that makes that player very special,” he said.

Varma, who is currently in Ireland with the Indian team for the T20I series, has been named in the Asia Cup 2023 squad that starts later this month. India start their Asia Cup campaign against Pakistan on September 2 in Kandy.