Tilak Varma should focus on improving his weakness: Virender Sehwag

The five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) were knocked out of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) on Friday, May 26, after suffering a humiliating 62-run defeat against reigning champions Gujarat Titans (GT) in Qualifier 2. After being invited to bat first, GT posted 233 runs in 20 overs, thanks to Shubman Gill's century. In reply, MI failed to chase down the target as they were bowled out for 171 in 18.2 overs.

MI suffered early setbacks when Nehal Wadhera (4) and Rohit Sharma (8) were dismissed earlier. Meanwhile, MI received a sigh of hope after Tilak Varma delivered a spectacular knock, smashing 43 off 14 deliveries. Meanwhile, Suryakumar Yadav (61) also produced a quick half-century, but it wasn't enough for MI to pass the finishing line.

Despite MI's failure in the must-win game, Tilak's performances drew attention. Many experts praised Tilak’s performance, and now legendary India opener Virender Sehwag has some words of advice for the youngster. He suggested that Tilak should improve his fitness and identify the skills he can work on. He added that when you play regular cricket, you transform yourself over time, whereas that does not happen if you do not play.

“He should focus on two things; improve his fitness, and identify the skills that he can work on, as well as the mindset. It often happens when you play regular cricket; you change yourself with time. But when you're not playing cricket, you have to focus on your fitness and your skills. Like Suryakumar Yadav, he practiced a lot for his shots,” Sehwag told Cricbuzz.

It reminds me of Tilak, when I played for India for the first time in 1999: Sehwag

Sehwag urged Tilak "identify" his weaknesses and work on his skills while referring him to his own playing days. The veteran batter said the 20-year-old batter reminded him of when he first played for India in 1999 and was removed by Shoaib Akhtar. The 44-year-old stated, following that, Sourav Ganguly encouraged him to practice against fast bowling so he could come better equipped, and he further improved himself.

“Tilak Varma should focus on improving his weakness. It reminds me of him; when I played for India for the first time in 1999, I was dismissed by Shoaib Akhtar. Before I could bring my bat down, the ball hit my pad. 

So, Dada (Sourav Ganguly) told me one thing... go back, practice against fast bowling, so you come better prepared. I used to play middle-order, I got spin, and by the time fast bowlers came, I had already scored a century. Likewise, Tilak Varma needs to look on where are his weaknesses,” Sehwag added.