The exceptionally gifted Varma, who is only 22, has already experienced some of the uncertainty and rivalry inside the ranks. He had to miss T20I matches in Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe due to two consecutive hand injuries. He was only a late substitute, even during the home series against Bangladesh, for the injured Shivam Dube and did not manage any game time at all.
"Express yourself" is a straightforward, if clichéd, statement that Captain Suryakumar gave up his No. 3 position to the young player. Varma fulfilled his promise by being one of just five players to register consecutive hundreds in Twenty20 Internationals. The second of those hundreds came on Friday, November 15, when India dominated 283/1 and won the series 3-1.
Suryakumar praised Varma's "incredible" double-act on the Highveld and expressed the hope that this success would carry over to other forms. He even alluded to Virat Kohli, who dominated the No. 3 spot in white-ball cricket for almost ten years.
Suryakumar praised Varma's "incredible" double-act on the Highveld and expressed the hope that this success would carry over to other forms. He even alluded to Virat Kohli, who dominated the No. 3 spot in white-ball cricket for almost ten years.
"This was the ideal scenario, the ideal chance for a young man, and definitely someone like him, displaying a lot of promise... 'I think it's the perfect time for someone like you to bat at number three, take that responsibility, not only now, but going forward as well,' I said to him. One man had previously batted consistently at number three and done wonders for India.
"And he simply lived up to his words. His batting performance at Supersport Park and today was amazing, and I hope he keeps doing the same things in the same manner not just in Twenty20 cricket but for all formats for India."
"And he simply lived up to his words. His batting performance at Supersport Park and today was amazing, and I hope he keeps doing the same things in the same manner not just in Twenty20 cricket but for all formats for India."
After playing T20 as a condensed form of ODIs for a long time, Varma's achievement of these two hundreds at strike-rates of 191.07 and 255.32, respectively, was also consistent with the overall story of India's transition in 2024. India has won 24 of the 26 Twenty20 Internationals this year thanks to their updated strategy. During this run, they have amassed incredible totals of 297 and 283, as well as a second T20 World Cup victory earlier in the year.
"Even before the World Cup, we played a few T20 tournaments and we spoke about what brand and what type of cricket we want to play going forward in T20s," Suryakumar stated. "So we play IPL, we play for different franchises, but when we come together, I think we wanted to do the same thing, what we do for our franchise and just be on the same page, play a different brand of cricket, what we had been playing before and post T20 World Cup, we just followed the same things what we did there and if it's going really well, why to change?"
Varma and India will face obstacles along the way in a format that is changing quickly. When players like Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are available for selection, there will be internal selection calls for the captain. When he arrives, Suryakumar intends to cross that bridge. "I haven't thought about it so far, I like to live in the moment, I will try to enjoy what happened today because it's a special win, a special series win," he stated.
"I'm sure when they [Jaiswal, Gill] come, we'll sit and talk about it, it will be difficult but it's a good headache to have going forward if you have 20-25 people and you have to make a team of 10-15, so it's quite a challenge and it's a good thing for every team, it feels good to see this, so when those players come, we'll see, we'll talk to them, there are a lot of people, team management, selectors, BCCI, to get rid of that headache, we'll see, there's no problem."
"Even before the World Cup, we played a few T20 tournaments and we spoke about what brand and what type of cricket we want to play going forward in T20s," Suryakumar stated. "So we play IPL, we play for different franchises, but when we come together, I think we wanted to do the same thing, what we do for our franchise and just be on the same page, play a different brand of cricket, what we had been playing before and post T20 World Cup, we just followed the same things what we did there and if it's going really well, why to change?"
Varma and India will face obstacles along the way in a format that is changing quickly. When players like Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are available for selection, there will be internal selection calls for the captain. When he arrives, Suryakumar intends to cross that bridge. "I haven't thought about it so far, I like to live in the moment, I will try to enjoy what happened today because it's a special win, a special series win," he stated.
"I'm sure when they [Jaiswal, Gill] come, we'll sit and talk about it, it will be difficult but it's a good headache to have going forward if you have 20-25 people and you have to make a team of 10-15, so it's quite a challenge and it's a good thing for every team, it feels good to see this, so when those players come, we'll see, we'll talk to them, there are a lot of people, team management, selectors, BCCI, to get rid of that headache, we'll see, there's no problem."
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