Former Indian captain Mohammad Azharuddin has heaped praise on Tilak Varma for his brilliant match-winning performance in the second T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch on October 24. Tilak Varma smashed a fabulous unbeaten fifty under pressure when India was in serious trouble.

The young Indian batter’s knock helped the touring side secure a thrilling four-wicket victory over New Zealand to take a 2-0 lead in the ongoing five-match T20I series on Saturday, October 24. Earlier, Tilak Varma emerges as new T20 chasemaster with 26 wins in 26 chases.

Mohammad Azharuddin hails Tilak Varma after his Christchurch masterclass

Tilak Varma was named Player of the Match after scoring an unbeaten 51 off just 26 balls at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. India were chasing a target of 181 runs but lost five wickets for only 70 runs in the 11th over, putting the team under huge pressure against New Zealand.

However, Tilak showed great composure and attacking skills to turn the game around. He first added 42 runs off 24 balls for the sixth wicket with Naman Dhir (31 off 17 deliveries) and then joined hands with Nitish Kumar Reddy (26 not out from 13 deliveries) to finish the job.

Tilak and Reddy put together an unbeaten 69-run partnership off just 30 balls, as India reached the target in 19.5 overs to complete a thrilling victory. Amid this, “Whole India believes in you”: Tilak Varma reveals secret to POTM performance in 2nd T20I vs New Zealand.

After Tilak snatched victory from the jaws of defeat in Christchurch, Mohammad Azharuddin was highly impressed with the Hyderabad star’s batting and also backed him to play Test cricket for the team.

Mohammad Azharuddin backs Tilak Varma for Test cricket

The former Indian captain believes that the left-handed batter has the talent to succeed in red-ball cricket and hopes he gets an opportunity to represent India in the traditional format of the game soon. He also congratulated the entire Indian team and wished them success on the tour.

Mohammad Azharuddin was quoted as saying by ANI: “Today, I am very happy with the way Tilak Varma has played. He is a very good player, and I sincerely hope and pray that he gets the opportunity to play Test cricket. For me, Test cricket is the most important format, and I hope he goes on to represent India in Tests as well.”

The former stylish batter further said, "He has been performing very well in T20 cricket, and I think he played a crucial role in ensuring India's victory today. Congratulations to the team. Cricket is a team game, and the entire team deserves to be congratulated. I wish them the very best of luck.”

Tilak's impressive First-Class record and India numbers

Tilak has also built a strong record in first-class cricket, which could help his case for a future Test opportunity. He has so far played 25 first-class matches and scored 1828 runs in 38 innings at an impressive average of 57.12.

Tilak has already smashed eight centuries and seven and a half centuries, with a highest score of 121 in the first-class cricket. He also played 5 ODIs for India apart from playing 72 T20I matches so far. However, the left-hander could manage only 68 runs in 4 ODI innings, but he has impressed everyone with around 1900 runs in the T20I format at a strike rate of nearly 148.