Love for Tests is in my blood: India's T20 vice-captain Tilak eyes traditional format initiation

BENGALURU: Behind his ears, Tilak Varma sports a popular motivational tattoo — Dancing Through the Storm.

True to the body art’s inner meaning — finding calm in chaos — Tilak played two unbeaten knocks to take South Zone to the Duleep Trophy final here on Wednesday.

But for him, those knocks of 116 and 51 against North Zone were also connected with his ambition to play Test cricket for India.

“I have always loved to play the red ball cricket, and I have never dreamt of playing white ball formats for India, but that's a God's plan. I have debuted in T20 and One-Dayers for India, but my strength has always been red ball cricket,” Tilak said after the match.

Tilak has already played 53 T20Is and five ODIs in the last three years, but the southpaw asserted that he never neglected training with red ball.

“I have worked hard, no one has seen it, maybe since I was 10 years old, and now I am 23. I got selected to white ball formats due to the IPL. But before that I have grounded a lot in red ball cricket.

“So, it's always my strength and I love playing Test cricket, something that’s always there in my blood,” he said.

Tilak said he could not play the desired amount of domestic cricket because of its conflicting schedule with international assignments.

“So for my country, right now, I am available for T20s and ODIs, but I love to play red ball cricket. But I don't have much time to play domestic red-ball cricket because in the last 3-4 years I was trying to play the Ranji Trophy.

“But I am not getting the time because I have an international schedule. So, I am trying to play as much as red ball cricket because I want to score there and come to the Indian side as well."

Perhaps, opening up of a few slots in the India Test team such as No. 3 or No. 6 recently might have fuelled his hopes to don the whites.

But how easy is it for a player, who predominantly appears in white ball formats, to shift to the traditional version of the sport?

“I can quickly shift from white ball to red ball, and whoever plays cricket knows that going from red ball to white ball is slightly easy, I would not say that easy, but it's slightly easier.

“But changing from white ball to red ball will be slightly tougher. So, I always feel that if you have good technique in red ball, you will be a good all-format player,” he said.

Would love to play Duleep Trophy final

Tilak Varma’s participation in the Duleep Trophy final, to be held in Chennai from September 6 to 10, is still undecided after he was included in India’s T20I squad for the upcoming three-match series against Afghanistan.

The rubber will be played in New Delhi from September 13, leaving Tilak with potentially two days to travel and join the India squad at the national capital.

But Tilak said he would like to play for South Zone in Chennai.

“Yeah, I would love to play the (Duleep Trophy) final, but I don't know, this match has just finished, but I think the Afghanistan game is on the 13th. But I am ready to play the final. After that we have two days of break in between, and if I report on 11th also I can practise for a day and from there I can go and play the match.

“That’s how I feel, but it all depends on the selectors and the management. So we will have a chat soon,” he said.

Tilak hoped that injured pacer Viwath Kaverappa could be available for the title match in four days’ time.

The Karnataka pacer suffered an ankle niggle and could only bowl 12.1 overs in North Zone’s second innings.

“Vidwath…his ankle is slightly swollen, but he can walk and he is also running with the tape. So, hopefully we will get to know by tomorrow, and I think as a captain I am feeling that he will be there in the final. Let’s see how he is recovering,” he added.