Two seasons outdated within the IPL, this yr marked his coming of age. Those runs, sponsored by way of self belief, earned him an India call-up for the T20 sequence towards West Indies subsequent month.
On Thursday morning when he stepped out to play for South Zone within the Duleep Trophy, he carried the arrogance of an India call-up. “I was confident because I was thinking that now I’m going to be a capped player,” mentioned the soft-spoken Hyderabadi right here.
But the inside track did not take him by way of wonder. The undeniable fact that he wasn’t part of the India rising group introduced on Tuesday was once a sign. “It is a big thing to be picked for India and I was thrilled. But since I wasn’t a part of that U-23 team, I was hopeful of this selection,” he added.
Varma defined that his self belief stems from the time spent working towards red-ball cricket. “I’ve played more red-ball cricket than white-ball cricket. White-ball cricket is more about mindset, but red ball is where my skills will be tested.”
Varma, who neglected the 2022-23 Ranji Trophy season because of harm, didn’t permit the setback to bog down his self-belief. “I will always back myself in any situation. I try to have a clear mindset. Kieron Pollard (ex-Mumbai Indians teammate) always tells me to be calm and just focus on the next ball,” he mentioned.