Tilak Varma: Hyderabad’s latest cricket sensation

When India took on Pakistan in the final of the 17th edition of the Asia Cup on Sunday (September 28, 2025), the hopes of a billion people were pinned on Tilak Varma. The 22-year-old stood strong after the Men in Blue lost three wickets with just 20 runs on the board.

With an unbeaten knock of 69, he helped India beat its arch-rival for the third time in the tournament and lift the continental title for the ninth time in history. Back in Hyderabad, the locals celebrated the victory and the city lad’s exhilarating performance.

Tilak Varma was born on November 8, 2002, in Hyderabad. His father, Namboori Nagaraju, who worked as an electrician, and his mother, Gayatri Devi, supported his interest and talent in cricket despite scarce resources.

First-class debut at the age of 16

He caught the eye of coach Salim Bayash at the age of 11, who taught him the ropes at the Legala Cricket Academy in Lingampally. Such was the 22-year-old’s talent that he made his first-class debut at the age of 16 for Hyderabad in the 2018-19 Ranji Trophy. He soon represented the State across formats, making his T20 (2019 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy) and List A (2019 Vijay Hazare Trophy) debuts in 2019. Tilak’s performances even saw him make it to the Indian squad for the 2020 Under-19 World Cup.

The big break in his career came when Mumbai Indians parted with ₹1.7 crore to sign him at the 2022 IPL auctions. In his maiden IPL campaign, he scored 397 runs and has only continued to improve since. Along the way, he even became the first cricketer to score three successive centuries in T20s.

ODI debut in 2023

Tilak made an instant impact with India, too. He made his debut in August 2023 against West Indies and top-scored for India (39) in that match. By the end of the series, he was India’s highest run-scorer and became the second-youngest Indian to score a half-century in T20s. He later made his ODI debut in September 2023, during the Asia Cup.