"That's why India is away from ICC trophies" - Fans react after Tilak Varma fails on ODI debut in IND vs BAN Super 4 match

Team India youngster Tilak Varma failed with the bat on his ODI debut in the Super 4 match against Bangladesh on Friday, September 15, at R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo. He scored only five runs from nine balls before returning to the pavilion.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first in this contest. Bangladesh managed to reach a decent total of 265/8 in 50 overs on the back of contributions from Shakib Al Hasan (80), Towhid Hridoy (54), and Nasum Ahmed (44). Shardul Thakur scalped three wickets for India.

The Men in Blue then lost Rohit for a two-ball duck in the first over of the chase. In the absence of rested Virat Kohli, Tilak got the chance to play at the No. 3 position. He could not make the most of the opportunity as Tanzim Hasan Sakib cleaned him up with a wonderful delivery in the third over.

After facing a couple of out-swingers, Tilak left the next ball alone, assuming it would also follow the same trajectory. However, the ball came back in this time to uproot the stumps.

Tilak impressed everyone with his impactful performances against the West Indies last month, prompting selectors to give him his maiden ODI call-up for Asia Cup 2023.

Fans took note of Tilak's failure on his ODI debut and expressed their reactions on X (formerly Twitter). Here are some of them:

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He is a terrific young talent: Abhishek Nayar on Tilak Varma

Former Indian player Abhishek Nayar recently put his weight behind upcoming youngster Tilak Varma and opined that he has a lot of potential. He told Times of India:

"I am really happy that he (Tilak) has been given the opportunity. He played in Ireland and West Indies, and playing in different conditions will give him a lot of exposure."

He added:

"To a large extent, he has been stupendous, especially the way he performed against the West Indies. He is a left-hander who can bat at No. 4 and he has shown that he can bowl too. He can roll his arm over and can bowl a couple of overs in T20Is and ODIs too. He is a terrific young talent who has repeatedly shown a lot of potential in the IPL and in domestic cricket."