"His Stock Should Have Gone Up": Irfan Pathan On India Star Picked For South Africa ODIs
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday announced a 15-member squad for the three-match ODI series against South Africa.
- Tilak Varma has been picked in India's 15-member ODI squad against South Africa, starting November 30
- Irfan Pathan believes the youngster could do well if given an opportunity at number 4 in the one-dayers
- "After that, his stock should've gone up," said Pathan reacting to Tilak's Asia Cup final heroics vs Pakistan
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday announced a 15-member squad for the three-match ODI series against South Africa, starting November 30. KL Rahul will lead the side as regular captain Shubman Gill misses out due to a neck injury. Star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant makes a comeback to the ODI setup, while Ruturaj Gaikwad also finds a place in the squad. Veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja returns after missing the Australia tour. With India's ODI number 4 Shreyas Iyer also absent due to injury, the selectors have picked Tilak Varma in the squad.
Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes that Tilak could do well if given an opportunity at number 4 in ODIs vs South Africa. The southpaw bats in the middle order for India in the T20I format.
Pathan added that Tilak's value should have gone up since his Asia Cup 2025 final heroics against Pakistan in September this year. In the thrilling T20I clash, the southpaw came in at number 4 and scored a match-winning 69 not out to secure India a five-wicket win.
"Keep an eye on Tilak Varma, because of the way he won matches against Pakistan in the T20 finals and handled pressure in the Asia Cup. I felt that after that, his stock should have gone up. He is a player who can do very well in the ODI format," said Pathan on his YouTube channel.
"Ideally, I would like to see him play higher up in T20s at number three, but if he plays at number four in ODIs, that is fine too. He takes time to settle and handles pressure well, which we have seen in recent performances. He is a left-handed batter, good at running between the wickets, and uses shots like the slog sweep effectively when under pressure," he added.
India's ODI squad vs South Africa: Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Tilak Varma, KL Rahul (C) (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshit Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Dhruv Jurel.
India Cricket Team
South Africa Cricket Team
Irfan Pathan