Irfan Pathan backs Tilak Varma to succeed in ODIs, says left-hander can bat at no.4 against South Africa

Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan has backed Tilak Varma to find success in ODIs after the left-hander was included in India’s squad for the three-match series against South Africa. Pathan said Varma’s stock has risen after he played a match-winning knock against Pakistan in the Asia Cup final.

The former swing bowler said the southpaw can also bat at the number four position as Shreyas Iyer is not part of the squad due to injury. Varma has played four ODIs thus far, and he has scored 68 runs.

Irfan Pathan said on his YouTube Channel, “Keep an eye on Tilak Varma, because of the way he won matches against Pakistan in the T20 finals and handled pressure in the Asia Cup. I felt that after that, his stock should have gone up. He is a player who can do very well in the ODI format.”

Pathan wants Varma to bat at one drop in T20Is and added that he can take the number four slot for the South Africa series.

“Ideally, I would like to see him play higher up in T20s at number three, but if he plays at number four in ODIs, that is fine too. He takes time to settle and handles pressure well, which we have seen in recent performances. He is a left-handed batter, good at running between the wickets, and uses shots like the slog sweep effectively when under pressure,” he added.

Pathan highlighted that selectors are considering Varma as a potential option in ODIs and he would look to grab his chance with both hands.

“Whether he will get the opportunity is something to watch, and it will certainly be a question. But the fact that he is in the team shows that the selectors are considering him as a potential option in ODIs. He has played ODIs before, scoring fifties, also against South Africa, when KL Rahul was captain. He now has an opportunity if he gets a chance to play.”

The first ODI between India and South Africa will be played at JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi, on Sunday.

Squad: KL Rahul (c/wk), Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel