Rohit Sharma taught me how to deal with pressure situations, says MI's Tilak Verma
Tilak Verma made his IPL debut last season
Mumbai Indians (MI) batsman Tilak Verma has opened up on his conversations with Rohit Sharma, saying that the MI skipper taught him how to deal with pressure situations.
The 19-year-old Verma made his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut last season. Even though MI had a season to forget as they finished at the bottom of the IPL 2022 table, Verma was a find for the five-time champions.
The Hyderabad-born batsman scored 397 runs in 14 matches at an average of 36.09. He recorded two half-centuries and scored the runs at a strike rate of 131.02. Verma was MI's second-highest run-scorer last term after Ishan Kishan.
Rohit, who managed just 268 runs in 14 matches, was very impressed with Verma and tipped the Hyderabad batsman to play for India in all formats very soon.
In a recent interview, Verma said that he had long conversations with Rohit during the IPL 2022, where the Indian skipper gave him plenty of advice on how to improve his batting.
"Personally, I talked a lot with Rohit bhai about how to improve my batting. I had done well this season and my thinking process was to always do well for the team and win as many games as I can for them," Verma said in an interview with News24.
Verma went on to reveal how Rohit kept motivating him and asked the youngster to bat himself every time he walked out to bat.
"There were a few matches where I could not finish off. Afterwards, Rohit Bhai told me to back myself and as soon as I understood the situations better, it will automatically improve. Rohit bhai also taught me how to tackle pressure situations and enjoy the game while backing my strengths. It has helped me a lot," added Verma.
Verma turned professional in 2019 when he made his debut for Hyderabad across formats. Having played 29 T20s, including 14 in the IPL, Verma has scored 778 runs at an average of 32.41. He has scored five fifties in the shortest format so far.
Meanwhile, Verma has an excellent List A record. He has scored 784 runs in 16 50-over games and has an impressive average of 52.26. Verma has also made four First-Class appearances, scoring 255 runs at 31.87, including two half-centuries.