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That is Mumbai Indians’ young gun, Tilak Varma, speaking about his captain, Rohit Sharma. In a season that has challenged Mumbai Indians like no other in their IPL history, Varma has emerged as a main stay for the future with the five-time champions.

It’s a spark that Mumbai Indians spotted, and then have nurtured. What has helped is the kind of people that Varma is surrounded by and the team culture at Mumbai Indians. The support provided by Rohit Sharma, head coach Mahela Jayawardene and Zaheer Khan, Director of Cricket Operations and all those around him. And if that sounds like too many grown-ups for someone not yet out of his teens, there’s a fellow teenager Dewald Brevis too who is helping It’s a mix of experiences and personalities that have had a profound impact on Varma.

The Rohit Sharma philosophy of cricket is something he’s bought into whole-heartedly. Incidentally, it was the captain who gave Varma his cap on debut, which was a dream come true.

“I always liked Rohit bhai, so getting the cap from him really pumped me up and gave me confidence,” Varma said. “He keeps telling me that I shouldn’t take pressure in any situation, and says, ‘The way you enjoy and play, keep enjoying your game that way. You’re young, this is the time to enjoy it. If you ever lose that, it doesn’t come back. So the more you enjoy yourself and play, positive things will come to you. If you feel the sad today, feel the pressure, and the match doesn’t go well, you won’t have the time to go back to a good space. So enjoy yourself. Bad days will come; good days will also come.’

“Right now, Mumbai Indians are having a bit of a down phase. We’re playing well, but due to small errors, we’re losing matches. So even now he tells me that I’m doing really well and I don’t need to change anything. ‘These things happen, and we will come back, you’re doing well, so keep enjoying yourself.’ He always tells me this, and it feels very nice.

“He has told me to always enjoy myself and that is something I remember always. It will stay with me for my life in general too. And it is working too. If I’ve started well, it’s because of that.”

For the technical inputs with batting, there is no one better than Jayawardene. But it’s not all about technique only with the coach.

“He talks to me about my batting and makes suggestions,” Varma shared. “If I back myself to play a shot and get out in a game, he tells me to not stop myself from playing that same shot in the next game. Because that is my scoring shot, so you can get out on it too, but you’ll get runs from it also. He makes one mentally strong.”

If Rohit infuses character and belief and Jayawardene hones batting – physical and mental aspects, it falls to Zaheer to inculcate awareness, strategy and tactics.

“He keeps telling us to be aware of our surroundings in each match,” Varma said. “Every team is different, the bowlers are different, the strategy is different and the pitch is also different. Even if we play in the same ground, the breeze could be different on another day. So he advises us to get used to the surroundings and visualise, so that you can get used to them quicker. If you adapt to the situation, it becomes easier to navigate that situation. You don’t need to think too much; you will automatically get thoughts on how to handle it.”

Off the field, Tilak has built a strong friendship with Dewald Brevis.

“We’re close off the field too,” smiles Varma. “Since we’re of similar ages, we gelled quickly. He’s often in my room, whenever we go somewhere we go together. Now we’re so close we understand each other very well too, on the field and off it. So it’s become very easy to bat with him in a match. The understanding is great, and we can go up to the other and tell him if something’s going wrong. That makes it very easy in a match. And when you are doing well on the field, automatically the bond becomes stronger off the field too.”

The challenges on field are of the kind that every franchise has faced in IPL. The environment off field though, continues to remain solid, sowing the seeds for a future that’s bright.