India, Jan. 26 -- Tilak Varma hates getting out. Especially if he is wearing India colours in a Twenty20 International. That's not the worst thing, right?

The young left-hander was last dismissed on 10 November 2024 in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), in the second of four T20Is in South Africa. After making a run-a-ball 20 while batting at No. 4 in a low-scoring game that his side lost, the newly minted 22-year-old knocked on his captain's door, quite literally, seeking a promotion to No. 3.

It would have taken some guts to ask the captain to cede his slot. Not just any captain, but the top batter in the world in the format. But Tilak and Suryakumar Yadav had spent several hours in the Mumbai Indians dugout, which encouraged the Hyd...