Varma credits his childhood coach for helping him stay calm in final vs PAK

Tilak Varma, the new superstar of Indian cricket, gave full credit to his coach Salam Bayash, on his arrival back home from the Asia Cup success to a rousing reception at the Legala Cricket Academy on Monday.

Varma’s unbeaten 53-ball 69 against Pakistan in the final at Dubai was the outcome of his sheer temperament, for which he credited Bayash. “There were nerves as a lot was going on in my mind. We lost three early wickets. It was important for me not to get distracted by all the sledging [by the Pakistani players] as I had to keep the country’s interest in mind. I did not want to make silly mistakes. So, I remembered my coach [Bayash], who has always kept telling me, right from my childhood, to remain calm. I did that and let my bat do the talking. I said to myself that I won’t reply [to the sledging] till I win the match for India,” Varma told mid-day here on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old also expressed his gratitude to Prithvi Reddy, managing director of the Lelaga Cricket Academy. “Prithvi Reddy has always been supportive, right from my initial days as a cricketer. Whatever I am today is because of these two [Reddy and Bayash]. I have seen how Virat Kohli respects his coaches. I’m following in his footsteps by respecting my coaches,” added Varma.