IND vs PAK: Saba Karim Backs Tilak Varma's Inclusion In Asia Cup Squad, Says He Will Not Take Too Long To Transition From T20 To ODI'

Former India player, Saba Karim lauded the 20-year-old Tilak Varma and backed his inclusion in the Asia Cup 2023 squad. The 55-year-old said that Varma won’t take much time to change his gaming style from 20-over format to ODIs.

Tilak Varma made his international debut in the West Indies series where he displayed a stupendous performance and impressed the selectors. However, in the three-match T20I series against Ireland, Varma failed to make the headlines as he scored only one run in the whole series.

While speaking to Jio Cinema, Saba Karim, the former selector of Indian cricket backed Tilak Varma’s inclusion in the Asia Cup 2023 and said that the management can select players from T20I format to ODI.

“At times, the selectors and the team management can back a player after what they have seen in the ground. There’s no harm in picking a player from T20 format to One-day format. One should also not forget that Tilak has had some kind of experience in List A matches. He has played about 12-15 (25) games and averages about 50 which means he knows what to do in one-day cricket. For him to transition from T20 to one-day cricket should not take too long because of the experience he has had. At times, selectors go by that kind of criterion,” said Saba Karim.

This is a wonderful opportunity for Tilak Varma: Saba Karim

The 55-year-old accepted that the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 will be a great experience for Tilak Varma since he can understand the atmosphere of the dressing room and learn how to prepare in different pitches.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for Tilak. For him to experience the dressing room, for him to understand the intricacies of international cricket, how to prepare in different conditions, it will come in very handy. It’s a very good buildup for Tilak. Whether he is part of the World Cup squad or not, whether he gets an opportunity here (Asia Cup) or not, irrespective of all that, for him to be given an opportunity, looking at his T20 performance speaks a lot,” added Saba Karim.

The Asia Cup 2023 will start on Wednesday (August 30th) and the first match will be played between Pakistan and Nepal at Multan International Stadium.

However, Rohit Sharma-led India will play their first game on Saturday (September 2nd) in a high-voltage match against Pakistan at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka.