‘I’m a good Test player,’ says Tilak Varma, scores century on County debut

Around the same time the final day of the first Test between India and England began at Headingley Cricket Ground, Tilak Varma marked his County debut with a century for Hampshire in a different corner of the UK.

The left-hander resumed from an overnight score of 98 and soon reached the milestone against Essex at Chelmsford, about four hours from Leeds, where Shubman Gill-led Team India are playing.

Varma reached his maiden County century in no time on Day 3, but couldn't build on the start, dismissed by Simon Harmer for 100 off 241. He hit 11 boundaries and three sixes.

Varma has become the second Indian to score a century for Hampshire after Ajinkya Rahane in 2019. "I can tell Rahane that I also got a hundred here," Varma told ECB Reporters Network after Day 2.

The exciting 22-year-old, who plays for Mumbai Indians in the IPL, is one of the finest T20 batters in the business. In the latest ICC rankings, he was the No. 3 ranked T20 batter in the world.

But Varma does not like to be branded as a T20 batter alone. "I always say, Test cricket is my favourite. Being the No. 3 batter in T20, everyone thinks I am a good T20 batter, but since long time I have been saying that I'm a good Test player. I love to play Test, playing close to the body."

Varma said he had always wanted to experience county cricket and was glad to have the opportunity. "After the IPL, we have 1-1.5 months break. India and India A are here so for me there was nothing (to do) sitting a home. So this was the right opportunity, and last three years I waited for this. I asked a few teams, and I got the opportunity from Hampshire," he said.