A stacked calendar notwithstanding, Tilak prioritised motivating the squad, dangling perhaps the most irresistible carrot in the T20 universe – possible trials with IPL teams for standout performers. | Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL

On Sunday, Tilak Varma stood at the summit, leading India A to the Tri-Series title in Sri Lanka. The skipper led from the front, finishing as the Men in Blue’s highest run-scorer with 275 runs and four half-centuries (in five innings) to his name.

By the end of the day, he was back in Hyderabad. For most players, the natural next step after an international triumph would be rest, recovery, and a moment to soak it all in.

Tilak chose differently.

He was back on the cricket field again, this time for the maiden season of TG20, Telangana’s domestic T20 league, leading his franchise Medak Falcons for one solitary game.

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“Tilak came to the hotel on Sunday evening and met the team. He came back the following morning and had one-on-one conversations with most players and told them all to enjoy the occasion,” Ravi Teja, the outfit’s designated captain, told The Hindu.

And that was only part of it.

In the TG20 setup, each team was given a wallet of Rs. 60 Lakh of which the Falcons broke the bank to rope in Tilak, spending Rs. 33 Lakh. With two established performers in Tilak and Ravi Teja (Rs. 12 Lakh), the side had to stack its squad with unheralded district players. All of this to have the star all-rounder in the lineup for just one game this season, as it stands at least.

A stacked calendar notwithstanding, Tilak prioritised motivating the squad, dangling perhaps the most irresistible carrot in the T20 universe – possible trials with IPL teams for standout performers.

But nothing would rally his side like a performance to remember on the pitch, especially when he was going up against India teammate Mohammed Siraj’s Warangal Warriors. BCCI’s workload management protocol keeping Siraj away from this fixture only made the odds more favourable for Falcons.

However, what followed was far from ideal with Warriors smashing their way to 258/7, riding on Aman Rao’s 142. With his bowlers looking stumped for answers, Tilak brought himself into the attack and struck twice. Yet, his defining contribution was still to come.

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Faced with a towering target of 259, Tilak, slotted at No.3, found himself in the middle in the second over of the chase. One by one, six batters came and went at the other end. Through every partnership, however brief, Tilak remained in constant conversation with teammates who possessed only a fraction of his experience.

He pushed relentlessly for twos and threes. He hunted every extra run from wayward throws. He played with the urgency and intensity of a man contesting the most important match of his life.

The half-century arrived in just 22 balls. Twenty deliveries later, he surged into triple figures. Both milestones were acknowledged with little more than a modest raise of the bat, directed toward the applause flowing from the dugout and the stands.

That he struck the winning runs felt inevitable. And with victory secured, the emotions finally burst through, along with his signature celebration. Surrounding him were his teams, half ecstatic, half in awe.

Tilak’s confidence was infectious. The top five maintained a strike rate of over 150. Keeper V Naik Guguloth, whose late assistance helped Tilak close out the chase, went at a rate of 225.

“We have a team of 18 players who come from small towns. No one has played First-Class cricket, but they are fearless. They have nothing to lose,” Ravi explained.

Falcons’ management did their bit too. Experience was a big handicap, and they tried to address it from multiple angles. The squad had a 10-day camp where they played matches with the Kochi Blue Tigers, a franchise in the Kerala Cricket League.

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All those experiences will be necessary when this Tilak blitz fades into memory and the team has to go at tournament life without him. The man himself left right after the game with a flight to catch in the early hours of Tuesday to Mumbai. From there, he will travel to Ireland for the two-match T20I series in Belfast later this week, where he will serve as captain Shreyas Iyer’s deputy.

For a player highly rated for his skill and increasingly appreciated for his aptitude to lead, this game was a powerful reminder that leadership begins long before the toss and extends far beyond the scorecard.

Published on Jun 23, 2026