Against Worcestershire at New Road on Wednesday (July 30), Tilak Varma suffered his first single-digit score in County Championship cricket for Hampshire.
A flying start to County Championship career
Last month, Hampshire signed Tilak Varma for four County Championship matches. At the time of his signing, he had already established a strong reputation in India’s T20I setup, having become the third-youngest player from a Full Member nation to score a T20I century and one of only five to record back-to-back hundreds. Another century for Hyderabad in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy made him the first player in history to score three consecutive T20 hundreds. The County Championship deal offered him a key opportunity to showcase his red-ball skills abroad.
Tilak grabbed the opportunity with both hands, scoring a century on his County Championship debut against Essex, a match which eventually ended in a draw. His 241-ball knock included 11 fours and three sixes, showcasing his adaptability to the longer format. During the match, he also expressed his Test ambitions, stating that he has always believed in being "a good Test player as well".
The dashing left-hander built on his stellar start, scoring 56 and 47 against Worcestershire. His first innings spanned 171 balls, and the second 143, demonstrating his ability to bat long in the format. Despite Hampshire conceding a 458-run lead, they salvaged a draw – with Tilak’s resilience being a key factor in their resistance,
Against Nottinghamshire, Tilak notched his second County Championship century of the season – a patient 112 off 256 balls – though Hampshire ultimately settled for a draw yet again.
Tilak suffers first failure of his county stint
In his final match of the short County stint, against Worcestershire at New Road, Tilak registered his first single-digit score of the season. Coming to the crease at 148-3, Tilak began cautiously, taking 13 balls to get off the mark – opening his account with a beautiful cover drive off seamer Tom Taylor's full-length delivery.
Tilak Varma cover drive.
— Hampshire Cricket (@hantscricket) July 30, 2025
This is quickly becoming admin's favourite shot in the game 🤤
HAM: 167-3 (47.2)
📺 Watch WOR v HAM 👉 https://t.co/ngPtkPEQRr pic.twitter.com/lUbv6yWoa0
Ultimately, the same full length proved to be his undoing. On his 30th delivery, Taylor attacked from around the wicket, targeting the stumps. Tilak attempted to clip it to the leg side but was beaten, his stumps shattered. He departed for just five.
Hampshire, after a strong start at 144-0, suffered a dramatic collapse and were eventually bowled out for 293. Taylor emerged as the chief destroyer with impressive figures of 5-55. Vital contributions from Tom Prest (54) and No. 9 James Fuller (41) helped Hampshire finish close to the 300-run mark.
Match 94, Worcestershire vs Hampshire
vs
- Ball by ball Over
They fought back strongly with the ball, Sonny Baker leading the charge with three wickets to reduce Worcestershire to 204-5 by lunch on day three.
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