Left-handed Mumbai Indians batter Tilak Varma kickstarted his county career in superb fashion, scoring a century on debut for Hampshire.
In the ongoing 37th match of the County Championship Division One between Essex and Hampshire, Essex posted 296 runs in their first innings. In reply, Hampshire had a shaky start, losing two early wickets. Tilak came in at No. 4 and joined Fletcha Middleton at the crease. The duo steadied the innings with a 62-run stand off 124 balls, providing much-needed stability.
After Middleton’s dismissal, wicketkeeper-batter Ben Brown partnered with Tilak to add another 68 runs from 132 deliveries. The most significant partnership of the innings, however, came between Tilak and Liam Dawson, who stitched together a crucial 133-run stand from 252 balls.
Both Tilak and Ishan Kishan had a strong start to their county journey
Tilak eventually reached his century, scoring 100 off 241 deliveries, including 11 fours and 3 sixes—marking a memorable start to his county stint. As of now, Hampshire has crossed the 400-run mark with six wickets down, and Dawson is inching closer to the 150-run milestone.
This county success comes after a modest IPL 2025 season for Tilak, where he scored 343 runs in 16 matches at an average of 31.18 and a strike rate of 138.31, with just two half-centuries to his name.
A growing number of Indian cricketers are taking part in County cricket this season. While Tilak Varma has signed a short-term deal with Hampshire, Ruturaj Gaikwad is set to represent Yorkshire later in the season. Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan has joined Nottinghamshire on a short-term contract and has also started strongly, scoring 87 off 98 balls in his debut innings against Yorkshire.
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