Hampshire County Club signs Indian batter Tilak Varma

On Wednesday, June 18, the Hampshire County Cricket Club confirmed the signing of Indian batter Tilak Varma for the county's four-day red-ball matches. Notably, Tilak will be available for selection in the next four games of the ongoing County Championship.

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Interestingly, Tilak Varma is expected to feature in Hampshire’s next match against Essex away from their home, starting on Sunday, June 22, at the County Ground, Chelmsford. He will also take part against Worcestershire, Nottinghamshire, and Worcestershire in the next three games.

Speaking about his red-ball stats, Varma has played only 18 first-class games, scoring 1200 runs with five tons and four half-centuries at an average of 50.16. In this format, he has represented India A in the Duleep Trophy and played two games against England Lions last year.

"It's fantastic to have Tilak available for the next four County Championship matches. He's an exciting talent who has already made a big impact on the international stage and in the IPL, and we look forward to seeing what he can do for Hampshire this summer,” Giles White, Director of Cricket, said.

It’s also important to note that Tilak has featured India in 25 T20Is, scoring 749 runs with two centuries against South Africa in November 2024 and three fifties, including an unbeaten 72 against England this year.

While he is known for his heroics in the shortest format of the game, it would be interesting to see how the young Indian batter fares in red-ball in testing English conditions, where the ball swings early in the innings.

Hampshire is currently occupying the seventh place in the County Championship Division One, after finishing as runners-up in the last County season. While the Essex contest would be an away affair from June 22 to 25, he will make his home debut against Worcestershire from June 29 to July 2.

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