3 Suresh Raina records that Tilak Varma can break in T20s 

Rising batter Tilak Varma has made a promising start to his international career. As a left-handed batter, who can bowl a bit of off-spin as well, It is natural that the 20-year-old is already being compared to the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina.

Tilak's batting style and ability arguably mirror that of Suresh Raina more than Yuvraj Singh, if the comparisons are to be taken seriously. He made his debut in the first T20I in the ongoing five-match T20I series against the West Indies.

Tilak made an instant statement by hitting two successive sixes to open his international account. He then followed it up with a maidenT20I fifty and an unbeaten 49-run knock in the third T20I. India have been in search of a reliable left-handed batter and with Ishan Kishan more suited at the top, Tilak proves to be the right fit in the middle order.

Interestingly, there is more than what meets the eye when these two players are concerned. Apart from their similar playing style, they have also come across back when Tilak Varma was just a ball-boy in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Tilak's childhood coach told the Times of India in an interview:

"I had already spoken to some officials and requested him to let Tilak be a ballboy in that match. I took Tilak to the stadium and took him to a dedicated area, and he was given a jersey and the duty of being a ball boy for the match. Raina was playing in that match. That was a gift from me to him.

"I had another gift for him. After the match, he met Raina as well. Tilak was just delighted to meet him. He touched his feet and took many tips from him. Raina gave him some batting tips and some fielding tips too."

Now that Tilak has got the platform, will he be able to surpass his idol in the coming years as well?

On that note, here are three Suresh Raina records that Tilak Varma can break in T20s.

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#1 Most T20I appearances by an Indian left-handed batter

Suresh Raina ended his prolific career with 78 T20I appearances, which is the sixth-highest among Indians, and the highest among left-handed batters. Considering that Tilak Varma is just 20 years old and with the growing importance of the format, there is no reason why he cannot surpass that record.

Raina also made his T20I debut at the age of 20 in Team India's first-ever match in the format. In the initial years of his career, matches in the shortest format were conducted only on a sporadic basis. By the time it was popularised and the frequency was increased, Raina was below the pecking order.

Tilak Varma, however, has a bright future ahead and can break the record if he becomes a consistent member of the playing XI. For instance, Team India have played nine T20Is this year despite the focus being on the ODI World Cup.

In 2022, the Men in Blue competed in a total of 40 T20Is. Additionally, India are scheduled to host 36 T20Is at home in the coming cycle, the number is bound to increase when away contests and World Cups are taken into account.

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#2 Youngest Indian left-handed batter to score a T20I hundred

Shubman Gill broke Suresh Raina's decade-long record to become the youngest Indian to score a T20I hundred when he got to the three-figure mark in the third T20I against New Zealand. However, Raina still holds the record among left-handed batters.

Raina was 23 years and 156 days when he struck his famous ton against South Africa during the 2010 T20 World Cup in the West Indies.

Tilak Varma, on the other hand, is yet to score a T20 hundred but has age on his side. He has close to three years to cross the three-figure mark at the international level and break Raina's long-standing record.

If he manages to perform consistently over time, he will be able to cement his place in the playing XI, which augurs well for the management as well. That, in turn, will lead to more opportunities at No.4, where scoring a hundred is not that unrealistic.

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#3 Fastest Indian left-handed batter to reach 1000 IPL runs

Suresh Raina was among the first set of batters to cross the 1000-run threshold in the IPL. Representing the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), he was the backbone of the batting unit coming in at No. 3, and had a prolific set of seasons to kickstart his IPL career.

It took Raina 34 innings to score 1000 runs in the competition and he was the first Indian to reach there as well, but his record could be breached by Varma, among other candidates.

Tilak Varma has also started his IPL journey on a similar note with the Mumbai Indians (MI). He notched 397 runs in his first-ever season and now has 740 runs in his career after 25 innings. He needs 260 runs in nine innings to surpass Raina and to be fair, there is a realistic shot of it happening in the 2024 season.