Should India rope in Tilak Varma for ODI World Cup? Former chief selector MSK Prasad shares his take

Tilak Varma has made heads turn in the Indian cricketfraternity with a confident start to his international career during the ongoing five T20Is between India and West Indies. After three games, he has had scores of 39, 51, and 49* and has played his part with a lot of maturity, understanding the match situation. Thus, former Indian spinner Pragyan Ojha suggested his inclusion in the ODI setup. Now, former Indian chief selector MSK Prasad has shared his take on Varma's addition to the ODI squad for the forthcoming home World Cup.

In an interaction with the news agency PTI, Prasad said, "First of all, we should know whether Shreyas Iyer is fit or not. So, in case, if Shreyas Iyer is ruled out, in the present scenario, one guy who fits the bill is Tilak Varma, because of his versatility, because of his ability to play fast bowling and spin bowling and also because of his ability to switch the gears as and when required. More than anything else, we don't have a left-hander at the top of the order. So all these things will definitely go in favour of Tilak Varma."

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'He is someone like Michael Bevan'

Prasad further made a big statement and said, "That’s the kind of role he can adapt to very quickly. He understands the situation well, he rotates strikes, he is hard to stop from scoring, and he can hold the innings together. He is someone like Michael Bevan."

"If you see his domestic cricket also, it’s close to 55 or 60, his average in the one-day format. He has got a pretty bright chance to get into the squad if Shreyas Iyer is found unfit," the former Indian cricketer added.

Prasad also acknowledged the role of Varma's IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians for the left-hander's incredible rise in the last two years. In this regard, he said: "I would say he has developed phenomenally in the last two years. He is a phenomenal cricketer, there’s no two ways about it. He played U19 for India. But credit should definitely go to Mumbai Indians for the way they have groomed him."

"The amount of opportunities he has got over the last two years, the way MI has shown faith in him, it’s tremendous. A winning team like Mumbai Indians showing faith will obviously boost the confidence of a young cricketer like him," he concluded.

Apart from Prasad, the likes of Wasim Jaffer and R Ashwin have also backed Varma to be added to India's squad for the upcoming ODI World Cup. India will kick off their campaign in the showpiece event on October 08, versus Australia in Chennai, with the tournament opener to be held on October 05, in Ahmedabad, between defending champions England and New Zealand.

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