Media365
Tilak Varma has opened up about how his friendship with former India captain and Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma evolved. He revealed that Rohit’s daughter Samaira unexpectedly played a key role in it as well. Appearing on ‘Breakfast with Champions’ with Gaurav Kapur, the young batter recalled his early days in the Mumbai Indians camp during the 2022 IPL season, describing how his admiration for Rohit initially left him too nervous to start a conversation.“It was in 2022 during COVID. We were in the Taj Hotel in Mumbai. I met everyone but hadn’t seen Rohit yet. I was very excited to see him as I had never met him before,” Tilak said. “He came on the third day with his family. I went to the breakfast area, took some juice, and sat in one corner just to see him. I wanted to talk to him but was scared.”Tilak then said that he confessed his feelings to a media person who was close to the then MI skipper.As fate would have it, the media member passed on Tilak’s feelings to Rohit, who then called the youngster to his room. “Rohit bhai asked me to meet him, and we sat together for around one and a half hours. We ordered food and spoke at length. Honestly, I wasn’t even listening to half of what he said — I was just looking at him, feeling nervous and happy,” Tilak laughed.From that day on, Tilak began joining Rohit regularly for breakfast, where he also developed a fond bond with Samaira, Rohit’s daughter. “I liked playing with kids, so I used to play with Sammy — and that’s how our bond grew stronger,” he added.Since that season, Tilak has cemented his place as the backbone of MI’s middle order, scoring 1,499 runs in 51 innings at an average of 37.47 and a strike rate of 144.41, including eight fifties. He recently shone in the Asia Cup, finishing as India’s second-highest run-getter with 213 runs in six innings, including a match-winning 69* against Pakistan in the final.Tilak will next be seen in action during India’s T20I series against Australia starting October 29 and will look to carry on not just form, but also the confidence earned through mentorship and trust from one of India’s modern greats.
