‘I think it’s a wonderful, brave and smart selection’: Tilak Varma’s selection in Indian ODI squad for Asia Cup 2023 hailed Tom Moody | Cricket News

Tilak Varma, Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul were named in India’s 17-man squad on Monday for the Asia Cup.
While Rahul and Iyer are returning from injuries, Varma was rewarded for his impressive displays against the West Indies in the recent Twenty20 series.
Uncapped left-handed batter Tilak Varma has been making waves in the domestic circuit.
As a talented batter he does have a bright future ahead of him. Not only is he a good timer of the ball but also has the ability to score runs in all conditions. He is also a good fielder and is willing to take risks.
What makes him a valuable asset to the Indian team, is he can also bowl off-spin.
Speaking exclusively to Star Sports, former Australia cricketer Tom Moody spoke about the talent and variety that Tilak Varma gets to the squad, and said “I think it’s a wonderful selection. I’ll call it brave, but I also call it in the same breath smart. He is clearly a player on the rise, as I touched on earlier. He’s got not only skill but an enormous temperament, and he is showing that on a regular basis. We have talked about the value of left-handedness in the top order, so him coming in at that number five or six position is going to be valuable for India, particularly to have that balance against spin.”

Moody also spoke on how there no discrepancy behind the decisions in selecting the Indian squad, he said, “Well firstly, what is looking good is the fitness, the tick that both KL Rahul and Iyer have received. That’s been the real talking point over the last few weeks. You know both quality players, both really do give that middle order some body and experience. I did enjoy the transparency and the honesty that came through in that press conference.
“I think communication is really important at times, whether it be in India or any other country for that matter. There can’t be that cloak and dagger press conference where you have these hidden messages, and then you walk out of a press conference no clearer than what you did when you walked into that press conference. So I think the clarity in their messaging was really important. I liked the fact that they made it very clear about the wr spinning decision, why they only went for one wr spinner, and just small points around that.

“The little niggle that might have emerged with KL Rahul, just small things like that, you can’t help but get behind the new chairman and this team, because you feel like you’re involved, you feel like you are part of the journey now instead of it being you’re unsure of exactly what is happening. So I think there are obviously a lot of people who follow Indian cricket, more than anyone in the world. So I think the force of Indian cricket will get behind this pair and this team.”
Meanwhile, former India keeper Dinesh Karthik called for rookie Tilak Varma as a viable option, besides keeping Suryakumar Yadav in the fray.Most Read
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“Do we need a left-hander? Do we look at Tilak Varma or is Suryakumar that option as he plays all the sweeps that are available in the game, makes it hard for spinners and is a very good player of spin as well,” said Karthik before adding, “So, who is the backup batter. That is the next question.”
India will play all its games in the Asia Cup, which starts on Aug. 30, in Sri Lanka after refusing to travel to Pakan due to political tensions between the two countries.
Pakan will host four matches, including one in the Super 4, while nine games will be played in Sri Lanka, including the final on Sept. 17.