Tilak Varma Joins Hampshire For County Championship 2025: Four-Match Red-Ball Stint
Hyderabad-born Indian batting talent Tilak Varma has signed with Hampshire for a four-match spell in the ongoing Rothesay County Championship Division One. The 22-year-old left-hander will be available for Hampshire's next four red-ball fixtures, beginning with their away clash against Essex at Chelmsford, scheduled from June 22–25.
Hailed as one of India's most promising young batters, Varma has already made significant strides on the international stage, particularly in T20 cricket. He has represented India in 29 matches, including 25 T20Is, scoring 749 runs with an impressive average of 49.93, currently the second-highest in men's T20Is and the best among batters from ICC full-member nations.
His T20I resume features two centuries, both in back-to-back innings against South Africa in November 2024, and three fifties, including a superb 72 against England earlier this year.
Though renowned for his aggressive stroke play in the shortest format, Varma also boasts a strong First-Class record. In 18 red-ball matches, he has amassed over 1200 runs, averaging 50.16, with five centuries and four fifties to his name. His red-ball experience includes appearances in the Duleep Trophy for India A and two matches against England Lions in early 2024.
Tilak began his T20 career in 2019 and was picked up by the Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2022 IPL season. Since then, he has become a key figure for the franchise, scoring nearly 1500 runs in 54 IPL matches, with eight fifties, a strike rate of 144.41, and an average of 37.47.
Welcoming Varma to the squad, Giles White, Hampshire's Director of Cricket, stated:
'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. We look forward to seeing what he can do for Hampshire this summer.'
Hampshire currently sit seventh in the Division One table, following a strong 2024 season that saw them finish second overall, their best result since 2005.
Fans will get their first look at Tilak Varma in county whites during Hampshire's match against Essex at Chelmsford from June 22–25, followed by his home debut against Worcestershire from June 29–July 2.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
24 minutes ago
- India Today
Rohit Sharma gifts Ayush Mhatre signed bat ahead of India U-19's England tour
Rohit Sharma gifted young Mumbai sensation Ayush Mhatre a signed bat ahead of his tour to England as part of the India U-19 squad. Mhatre, who caught everyone's attention with his performances for CSK in IPL 2025, will be captaining the Indian team during their tour of England. The Mumbai youngster is known to be an ardent fan of Rohit and shared an image with the India ODI skipper ahead of the tour. Mhatre was seen posing with Rohit in the Instagram post while proudly holding the autographed bat from the veteran opener. Mhatre also posted a heartwarming message along with the picture, thanking Rohit for his gift. advertisement"A bat, a blessing, and a memory of a lifetime — thank you Rohit da," said Mhatre on Instagram. The India U-19 squad will be touring England from June 24 to July 23 and will play five Youth ODIs and two multi-day games against the England U-19 side. India U-19 Squad for England tourAyush Mhatre (Captain), Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Vihaan Malhotra, Maulyarajsinh Chavda, Rahul Kumar, Abhigyan Kundu (Vice-Captain & WK), Harvansh Singh (WK), R S Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan Patel, Henil Patel, Yudhajit Guha, Pranav Raghavendra, Mohammed Enaan, Aditya Rana, Anmoljeet Singh. What Mhatre said about sharing dressing room with RohitadvertisementMhatre has already had the privilege to share the dressing room with Rohit when the veteran turned up to play a Ranji game for Mumbai against J&K earlier in the year. Rohit replaced the youngster in the lineup for Mumbai, but Mhatre went on to write a heartwarming message to his idol. Mhatre said he started playing cricket while watching Rohit bat and it was an unreal moment to now share the dressing room with him. "Started playing cricket by watching him bat on television to sharing a dressing room with my idol was such an unreal moment. Lots of learning to take forward," said Mhatre. Rohit is now taking a break from the game after announcing his retirement from Test cricket ahead of the England tour. The ODI skipper will next be in action when India travel to Australia for a white-ball tour. Must Watch
India Today
32 minutes ago
- India Today
Trump reiterates ceasefire claim, says he stopped India-Pakistan war
14:48 Rishabh Pant opened up on his relationship with new India Test captain Shubman Gill and said that he gels really well with the 25-year-old on and off the field. Pant will act as Gill's deputy as he begins his time as the new skipper of the Indian team in the longest format of the game.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Team India embarks on a new red-ball era in Old Blighty
Sporting transitions are often intimidating and discomforting. Personnel change, demands shift, goals are reset and targets revised. In cricket, where captains often mould teams in their own image, a change at the helm brings about an entire identity switch. Tricky phase Navigating this in-between phase is tricky, for the feeling of unease and apprehension can mess with the strongest of minds. Fail, and the critics will yearn for the stars from the bygone period. Succeed, and there will be over-the-top praise in the superlative. As far as acid tests go, this ranks among the toughest. It is this nervous and unforgiving space that India finds itself in. The first of five Test matches against England starting here at Headingley on Friday marks the beginning of a fresh World Test Championship cycle for both sides and the wise men of Indian cricket have placed their complete trust in 25-year-old Shubman Gill — set to be India's 37th Test captain — to dispel the anxiety and kick-start a brand new red-ball era. This is no ordinary transition. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and R. Ashwin — three of India's greatest match-winners — are no longer there. Shuffling roster Mohammed Shami isn't fit and even the genius of Jasprit Bumrah is at the mercy of his body. Gill's own numbers — 1893 runs from 32 Tests at 35.05 — are far from great. The Champions Trophy victory in March might be the most recent memory of the National team, but the fact remains that India is coming in after back-to-back series defeats in whites – against New Zealand at home (0-3) and Australia away (1-3). The last time it lost two on the trot was when it lost four on the trot to South Africa, New Zealand, England and Australia from December 2013 to January 2015. India is also looking for its first series triumph in England since 2007. Since that 1-0 success under Rahul Dravid, India has gone 0-4, 1-3 and 1-4 on three subsequent tours to the Old Blighty. Brush with Bazball The most recent sojourn in 2021-22, where it came within touching distance of a victory (2-2), was India's first brush with Bazball, the aggressive style introduced by coach Brendon McCullum. The fifth Test of that series was postponed by nearly a year to July 2022 because of a Covid outbreak, and under McCullum's stewardship and Ben Stokes' leadership, England chased down 378 in Birmingham to record a famous win. To replicate this approach, England needs pitches to be relatively flat. But that may disincentivise its largely inexperienced bowling line-up — but for Chris Woakes and Stokes — which may be looking at the turf for some help. However, the fickle English weather and the Dukes ball's pronounced seam, which makes the cherry wobbly all day, keep all bowlers in play. Huge test A five-match series is also a searing examination of endurance and concentration levels. Modern-day Tests may be shorter and teams may be needing fewer overs to bundle out the opposition, but a lot of the cricket is explosive and strenuous. Maintaining fitness and mental sharpness across 50 days is no joke. Of course, the beauty of longest format is that players and teams can occasionally afford to drift in and out of a contest like in a best-of-five-sets tennis match. But as the recent Roland-Garros final proved, victory will always belong to the most tenacious.
