Young Indian national cricket team batsman Tilak Varma made an exceptional save to deny a certain six to South Africa national cricket team batsman Aiden Markram.
The incident took place during the second ODI of the three-match series between the India national cricket team and the South Africa national cricket team at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur.
Tilak Varma shows unreal effort on field in Raipur
The 23-year-old Tilak is considered one of the best defenders in the Indian team, and he has time and again succeeded with his blinkers to prove his credentials on the field.
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He covers the ground very well and rarely misses opportunities on the ground. Tilak Varma is currently part of India’s ODI squad for the series against the Proteas, but he did not get an opportunity in the playing XI even in the absence of Shreyas Iyer.
He was expected to be No.4 against the Proteas, but that didn’t happen as the team management led by Gautam Gambhir decided to give that spot to Ruturaj Gaikwad.
However, Tilak Varma was given the opportunity to perform duties as a substitute defender and he managed to impress everyone with his efforts.
Tilak’s best was seen in the 20th over of the second innings at Raipur when he pulled off a Superman-like save to deny Aiden Markram a six.
On the fourth ball of the over, Kuldeep Yadav bowled a volleyed delivery to Aiden Markram, who cleared his leg and smashed the ball towards long-on.
Tilak quickly managed to get under the ball, jumped to catch near the boundary, but when he realized that he wouldn’t be able to complete it, he managed to flick the ball back inside the boundary, saving 5 runs.
Tilak Varma defies gravity and steals six from Aiden Markram
TILAK VARMA WITH THE CRAZIEST SAVES. 🥶pIc.twItter.com/1IEA.0Mr.VotS
– Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) December 3, 2025
ODI and Test cricket resemble my game because I enjoy the longer format – Tilak Varma
Young left-handed batter Tilak, speaking before the match, said that he enjoys playing longer formats than T20 cricket. He also revealed the influence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli on his career.
“ODI and Test cricket are similar to my game because I enjoy the longer format. I am also very excited to play more ODIs. When Rohit bhai and Virat bhai are in the same team, the confidence level is completely different,” Tilak said on JioStar.
“They have so much experience and knowledge, and I try to take as much advice from them as possible to improve,” Tilak said.
“I talk to Virat bhai a lot, especially about fitness and running between the wickets. His intensity is amazing. I love running too and I feel like I’m quite fast, so I really enjoy that part of the game. If we play together, running between the wickets with him is something I look forward to,” the 23-year-old added.
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