Former Indian Test opener Wasim Jaffer has backed Tilak Varma to be Virat Kohli’s successor in ODIs after the Asian Games. Kohli recently announced that the ODI World Cup 2027 will be his last tournament for the country and he is likely to retire from the 50-over format after the quadrennial competition.
Meanwhile, Tilak Varma scored an impressive knock of 51 runs off just 22 balls in the Asian Games final against arch-rivals Pakistan on Saturday. Varma added a crucial alliance of 62 runs off 30 balls with Shivam Dube to help the team post 211 runs on the board.
The 23-year-old from Hyderabad has played only five ODIs so far, in which has scored 68 runs. However, he has amassed 2142 runs in 52 List A games at an average of 47.60.
Jaffer praised Varma for adapting to different roles with great success.
He said on his YouTube Channel, “It feels great to see his versatility. He previously scored a century at No. 3, and now he has adapted to the No. 5 and No. 6 positions so beautifully. This is an amazing quality.
“It’s about time. When Virat and Rohit leave, Rohit, obviously, is a top-order batter, and Yashasvi Jaiswal is there to replace him, but I feel there will be a left-handed batter in Virat’s place. He has that game; we saw the way he scored runs in the Duleep Trophy. His first-class average is around 55. So, he can fit into all three formats pretty easily.”
The former domestic giant praised Abhishek for making changes to his approach. The Indian opener scored 61 runs off 28 balls in the Asian Games final against Pakistan
He concluded, “It seems that Abhishek has matured a bit. He takes a little time, and the assurance is visible now, although this format doesn’t give you a lot of time. His earlier approach was to try to hit a six on the first ball. Now, he has understood that it was the wrong approach.”
India will next take on the West Indies in a five-match T20I series, starting Tuesday.
