'My dad, who is an electrician, never refused me anything, would get me bat through loans and all.'
India's star batter Tilak Varma shared his remarkable journey from a modest upbringing to shining on the international stage, driven by a childhood dream to win a World Cup for India.
Hailing from Hyderabad, Tilak made headlines with a match-winning half-century in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan in Dubai.
Reflecting on his early days, he revealed India's 2011 World Cup triumph ignited his passion for cricket.
"I started cricket seriously after the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup because I wanted to win the World Cup for India, I started taking cricket seriously with this feel. I was earlier playing tennis ball tournaments and all that," Tilak told Gaurav Kapur on Breakfast With Champions.
"I asked my friends what I had to do as I got serious about cricket. My elder brother liked playing badminton, which was also an expensive sport. Shuttlecocks and bats were expensive," he added.
Growing up in a humble family, Tilak faced financial challenges. His father, an electrician, took loans to buy cricket equipment.
"My dad, who is an electrician, never refused me anything, would get me bat through loans and all. I would feel that I am asking for too much. Expensive bats would break easily, sometimes they would break in 5-6 days, or 3-4 months."
The turning point came when local coach Salam Bayash spotted Tilak's talent.
"So, one of my friends' coaches had seen me, and I joined his academy. Salam bhai, he knew my condition, he would get me equipment himself, encourage me to score an unbeaten century and gift me pads, he would give me such challenges. He did not take any fees from me. I never missed any practice sessions, going 5am in the morning, running forty rounds in the ground, no matter if I had any fever, how much fever I had," he recalled.
The left-hander also spoke about the struggles of travelling long hours for practice.
"When I changed my house, I would travel 2-2.5 hours by bus to a state camp there. My mom would wake up at 5-5:30am. It was difficult to get a seat on the bus, and I would quarrel for it and would stand. Often, I would not get batting and had to bowl to seniors and then there was a session at 3-6pm. After that, I would reach home and come again in the morning," he said.
Tilak credited his coach's unwavering belief for shaping his career.
"My coach told me that he knew I would make it big and become the number one player. He would tell me this even when I had not started playing for Hyderabad yet. Many people also went against me and told things to my coach but he never listened to anyone and worked a lot on me," Tilak said.
"There were times when I even fell at people's feet asking for just one opportunity to play. That made me a hard person. People say I do well under pressure but I have seen such things that make me hard and all this feels like nothing," he added.
"I have also done a lot for my coach and would keep doing that for the rest of my life," he added.
Recently, Tilak had a fine Asia Cup campaign for India, emerging as the team's second-highest and overall fourth-highest run-getter with 213 runs in six innings at an average of 71.00, strike rate of over 131.
Tilak's journey from a young boy inspired by India's 2011 World Cup triumph to a national star reflects the grit and hunger that define Indian cricket's new generation.
From a boy inspired by India's 2011 World Cup victory to a rising star, Tilak's inspirational story embodies the grit and determination driving Indian cricket's next generation.
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