‘It’s okay not to write about me but highlight him’ – Tilak Verma expresses gratitude to childhood coach after bagging ITL contract

Uncapped Indian player Tilak Varma has said that it is ok not to write about him but asked all to highlight his childhood coach Sayam Balash. Varma represented India in the U19 World Cup 2020 in South Africa alongside the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravi Bishnoi, Kartik Tyagi, Dhruv Jurel, Akash Singh, Priyam Garg, etc.

Jaiswal was retained by Rajasthan last year. Bishnoi was signed by Lucknow last month. Kartik Tyagi has been bought by Hyderabad this year. Tyagi played for Rajasthan last year. Priyam Garg was bought by Hyderabad this year. Jurel has been bought by Rajasthan this year. Varma is bought by Mumbai this year at 1.7 crores INR.

After being signed by Mumbai, the Hyderabad player thanked his childhood Balash for the immense support he give. Varma’s father is an electrician and struggled to bring a cricketing kit for his son. Balash provided food and provided his place to stay.

“Mere baarein mein bhale hi na likho, but coach sir ka zaroor mention karna (It’s okay not to write about me but definitely do highlight Salam sir),” Varma was quoted as saying by the New Indian Express.

“He bought me the cricketing gears and took care of most of the expenses (at Legala Cricket Academy). So it’s all because of him and my family’s support I’m here,” he added.

We had to cut down our expenses during the pandemic: Tilak Verma

The left-hander further added that his family had to cut down expenses during the pandemic but his coach made sure that he continued playing cricket.

“There was a lot of suffering and we had to cut down our expenses during the pandemic. But my coach ensured that I continued playing cricket. Hopefully, things will turn better now.”