“Bohot bada cricket khelne wala bacha hai ye. Thoda bohot khel k khamosh hone wala nahi hai,” says Tilak Varma’s childhood coach Salam Bayash.
Coming from a very humble background, the elegant left-hander has made his way into the Indian team after a consistent show in the domestic circuit followed by a couple of strong seasons for Mumbai Indians. Tilak has ended India’s long wait for a specialist left-handed batter in the middle-order and his ability to clear the ropes with ease makes him an asset.
The youngster, however, has had a tough journey to the Indian jersey. From financial constraints to ill-timed injuries, Verma has seen it all and has managed to fight them during the journey. It all started back in 2011-12 when his coach Bayash saw him for the first time.
“I first saw Tilak in 2011-12 at the Barkas ground where he was playing tennis ball cricket with his friends. He looked really solid while playing his strokes and I thought he must be going to some academy. I called him and asked if he goes to any academy. He replied negatively and added that he just plays with his friends. Then I had a chat with his father and asked him to give Tilak proper coaching. His father didn’t really agree to this initially due to financial issues. They lived just 2 km away from the place and my academy was 40km, so I told them that I would take responsibility and take care of his transport,” recalls Bayash.
After almost one year, the coach suggested Tilak’s father, who worked as an electrician, to shift their house nearby to the academy as it would help their kid to save time in travelling.
“From morning 6 to evening 6, he used to be in the academy. He used to fall asleep while sitting behind me and I used to be afraid that he might fall while sleeping because he used to get that tired. So, I asked his parents to make a shift nearby to the academy. Tilak’s job was only to focus on cricket and his zeal and passion made me concentrate more on developing his skills. Ye ladke mein kuch hai. I in fact also conducted his exam two-three times to see whether he was following what I was teaching him or not. Like, how he played when I was not around,” adds the coach.
Not an ideal start
It wasn’t an ideal start for Tilak as he failed to find a place even in the probables for the Hyderabad U-14 team. The youngster took the snub on the chin and returned stronger to lead the stateside next season.
“There was U14 selection for Hyderabad where he didn’t get a place, not even in the probable. So, I just kept on telling him that you need to score some more runs and keep practicing so that his just focus didn’t shift. Next year, he didn’t just get into the U14 team but also became the captain of the side. Moreover, he was given the best fielder award. Then he got into U16, U19 and India U19 B teams later on,” says Bayash.
Following his performances in the junior circuit, famous batmaker SS approached Bayash for a contract but the coach refused.
“I then got a call from SS brand as they wanted to give him a contract. But I refused at that point in time and told them, once he made it to the main team, I would give them a call myself,” Bayash reveals an interesting story.
“There was a series in England where he performed and found a place for himself in the U19 Asia Cup team. Then I called them up and from there on the issue of equipment was totally over,” he adds.
Nervous call before the Pakistan match
Tilak’s journey so far has been about some interesting stories and one such instance came during the U19 Asia Cup where the side was up against arch-rivals Pakistan. The left-handed batter made a call to his coach but this time he sounded a bit nervous. He was nervous and said that Pakistan possess a strong bowling attack. Knowing his student’s abilities and talent, coach Bayash just asked him to stay calm and focused which eventually helped him score a hundred.
“He scored a hundred against Pakistan in the Asia Cup but before going into the game, he was a bit nervous. He has one habit that he continues before every game, be it a state match or an IPL game or whatever and that is to give me a call. He gave me a call on that particular day as well before the match and said that Pakistan have a good bowling attack. I just told him that it’s easier to score runs against Pakistan. Un logan josh mein rehte hain, apan hosh mein rehna (They are over-enthusiastic, you just need to stay calm & composed). He just kept that in mind and scored runs in the game,” the coach said.
Tilak was disappointed in not getting a break in the IPL initially and the coach had his own ways of making him understand the reasons. Tagda class liya uska, he says.
“After the Asia Cup, Tilak got selected for the World Cup (U19) but didn’t find a place in any of the IPL franchises initially. He was not even there in the auction. I then had a chat with him about the same and he was disappointed. I sat down with him and asked if he had played a match-winning knock in the World Cup or scored a ton. He also had a forgettable Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy before that. So, I told him that you scored a fifty and a 40 odd in SMAT as well. How are you expecting a call-up in the IPL on these kinds of performances? He got a proper scolding from me,” says Bayash.
“He understood what I was trying to tell him and from then on he performed consistently well and finally got a call from Mumbai Indians for the trials.”
Tilak was finally roped in by the Mumbai Indians for a big sum. The coach and his pupil were delighted to get this break.
“During the auction, we were glued to the TV sets and his name popped up. The bidding started and it went up to Rs 1.7 crore where he was roped in by MI. I felt so happy for him and his family that his hard work is finally paying off,” says Bayash.
The folded hands celebration
Tilak’s folded hands celebration after the game against Chennai Super Kings went viral and it was nothing but a sweet gesture from the young man for his Guru.
“For the first time, I went to watch an IPL game and it was between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings at Wankhede in 2022. I didn’t inform that I was coming to watch his game but he saw me while fielding. Later, he and Tim David won the match for the side. After winning the game, he kept the helmet on the ground and folded his hands. The gesture was towards me. He then came to me and met me after the match,” says Bayash.
The India call-up
It was a dream come true for both Tilak and Salam when he got the India call-up. Coach Bayash hailed his student’s hard work and dedication and expressed delight as well.
“He belongs to a very humble background and his family has taught him to give respect to the teacher. Talking about him, he too is a very humble kid. Main mehnat kraya, vo mehnat kiya, dene wala to upar wala hi hai. I’m very happy for him. Every coach wants to see his student playing for the country and my wish got fulfilled,” says the coach.
“The moment he got selected for the Indian team, he called me up on video call. I was driving at that point of time. But he kept on calling and finally I parked my vehicle and picked his call. He then broke the news to me that he was selected in the Indian team. Sir mera Indian team mein naam agya. He was delighted and so was I. I always believed that he is destined to be a big player and we just kept working hard towards this,” he added.
Being a part of MI
Bayash, a Sachin Tendulkar fan himself, was delighted that Tilak had joined MI just because of the kind of legends that dug out has.
“Tilak is a very talented player and now he is in the MI camp where you have someone like Sachin Tendulkar, the God of cricket. Then they also have Pollard, Mahela, Zaheer. So, the more time he would spend with them, his game will improve. I in fact told him one thing. The person whom I look up to, you are getting to spend time with him and that’s Sachin Tendulkar. It’s in itself a very big thing for me. Try to grab as much knowledge as you can from him,” says Bayash.
Tilak has already impressed “Sachin sir” and Bayash’s first meeting with him is nothing less than a fairy tale.
“Sachin sir likes him very much. I will tell you another instance. Tilak told him that my teacher is a very big fan of yours. So, Sachin sir replied, ‘I know everything about you and your coach’. Last year, when Sachin sir came to Hyderabad, I got to meet him and that was a big, big moment for me. I told him, ‘20 years se apse milne ki khawaish thi. Upar wala meri khawaish puri kardiye’. He then hugged me and told me that I have prepared a very good player in Tilak and should continue to do the same. Main jitna khush tha, use zyada Tilak khush tha ki maine sir ko Sachin Sir se milwa diya,” says Bayash.
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