Tilak Varma’s maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) century for Mumbai Indian last evening against Gujarat Titans can be broken down into two halves. He was 19 off 22 at one stage before an animated exchange by his partner Hardik Pandya sparked a revival for the ages. It seemed to have lit a fuse in Tilak’s brain as he went on to plunder 82 off the next 23 deliveries he faced. Hardik’s chat, which appeared fierce, motivating and no-holds-barred, worked in the best way imaginable as Tilak finished with 101 not out off 45 deliveries, including eight fours and seven sixes, allowing MI to post 199/5 and pick up their first win against the Gujarat Titans at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
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After the match, which saw MI bowlers decimate the Titans for 100 to pick up a dominating 99-run win, Tilak opened up on the conversation he had with his captain, revealing what went down between the two, including asking Pandya to calm down.
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Hardik explains his version
“You know how Hardik is. He is always in this electrifying mode. I am more calm and relaxed. He was pumping me up, saying, ‘you will do it; you will win it’. I said, ‘ok, go easy. Just watch, and I’ll do it for the team,” Tilak, who was named Player of the Match, said after the match.
Pandya’s tactics are nothing new. While he is often seen in this demeanour, a major chunk of this reaction stems from the urge to motivate his players. Throughout yesterday’s match, there were instances where Hardik almost went dizzy from screaming every time MI picked up a wicket. After all, can you blame the guy? MI were tottering in the bottom half of the points table before the much-needed win lifted them from the abyss.
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“Something which Hardik Pandya does well is get the energy high. Two of my youngsters came to me and said my energy rubs off on them. I did the same thing with Tilak. I felt he was thinking a lot, and I realised that cricket is not played on the outside; it is played in the moment. So, I kept reminding him after every single ball: you just need to watch the ball; don’t pre-empt it. Whenever the ball comes, just hit it because you have the skill set,” said Pandya, explaining his intention.
The reason behind Tilak’s celebration
Tilak marked his celebration with an ice-cold celebration, as the youngster couldn’t help but get slightly carried away with the occasion. The left-handed batter endured some tough outings thus far in the season, with scores of 20, 0, 14*, 1 and 8 as the batting struggled to get going. To get the load off his back, Tilak was on Cloud Nine, and now that the floodgates have opened, expect a lot more fireworks in the matches to come as MI fight back to find a way back to get into the Playoff contention.
“At that moment, I was thinking that it’s a nice opportunity, and also if I score a hundred, it’s important for the team as well. That’s what was going on in my mind, and I’m glad it went my way. When I scored a hundred for India, Surya was my captain. This time, scoring a 100 in the IPL when the team needed me is the reason why I celebrated the way I did,” Tilak mentioned.