“I just wanted to come out alive” - Tilak Varma makes shocking revelation from 2022 Bangladesh tour

Published - 23 Oct 2025, 17:36 IST | Updated - 23 Oct 2025, 18:19 IST

Tilak Varma revealed that he had sustained a muscle breakdown after the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, the southpaw didn't stop playing domestic cricket to give his body time to recover. He overstrained himself as a result, and the situation worsened.

According to Tilak, he had to retire hurt midway through a clash on India A's tour of Bangladesh in 2022. The young batter was signed with the Mumbai Indians at that point, and he recalled how Akash Ambani had sought help from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding his treatment. Tilak mentioned that his health could have been severely jeopardised had he arrived at the hospital later than he did.

"I was playing an India A game in Bangladesh. After a point my eyes became watery, I was not even able to lift the bat and all my nerves were hard. I retired hurt and came out. Akash Ambani called me right away. He spoke to the BCCI and they helped me a lot. At the hospital, they told me it could have gotten worse if I had come even a few hours late. It was that bad. Even the needle was not going in. I just wanted to come out alive," Tilak said on 'Breakfast with Champions'.

Tilak said that his childhood coach had told him he would be a great player even before he was picked in the Hyderabad team. The 22-year-old mentioned that his toughness came from his struggles during his initial years.

"My coach told me that he knew I would make it big and become the number one player. He would tell me this even when I had not started playing for Hyderabad yet. Many people also went against me and told things to my coach. But he never listened to anyone and worked a lot on me. There were times when I even fell at people's feet asking for just one opportunity to play. That made me a hard person. People say I do well under pressure. But I have seen such things that make me hard and all this feels like nothing," he said.

Ex-IND batter lauds Rohit Sharma after Adelaide half-century

Tilak played a key role in the 2025 Asia Cup final, as his calm and composed half-century against Pakistan helped the Men in Blue win a low-scoring thriller in Dubai. He will return to action for the Indian team during the five-match T20I series against Australia, starting on Wednesday, October 29.