In breezy Chepauk, Tilak Varma found his 23-year-old self again

T20 World Cup, IND Vs ZIM Super 8: Under pressure and pushed down the order, Tilak Varma rediscovered freedom in Chennai, finishing strong against Zimbabwe before soaking in the Chepauk buzz like a 23-year-old unburdened again.

“We have got Tilak Varma. He is Rohit Sharma’s friend, he bashes Pakistan, we’ve got Tilak Varma,” rang out from a lively pocket at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday evening.

A group of Indian fans were in full flow, taking on the local DJ in a battle of decibels and creativity, crafting chants on the fly as India took on Zimbabwe in their Super 8 clash. Their voices rose and fell like waves crashing onto the nearby Marina shoreline — rhythmic, relentless, full of life.

Tilak Varma soaked it in, smiling and embracing the energy.

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Stationed along the boundary for most of the second half, Tilak became both participant and conductor. He turned towards the stands, nodding in approval, gesturing back at the fans as if to say he was feeding off their energy. When the buoyant group began chanting, “Tilak ko bowling do”, he pointed towards Suryakumar Yadav, playfully redirecting their appeal to the man in charge. When the chants shifted to “Abhishek ko bowling do”, Tilak ensured his team-mate was pulled into the theatre too, urging the crowd to grow louder, to make Abhishek Sharma part of the soundtrack of the evening.

Even as Brian Bennett’s silky strokeplay drew admiration and reminded everyone why the 22-year-old is spoken of in glowing terms, another performance was quietly unfolding along the ropes. Tilak’s smiles, gestures and playful exchanges created what felt like a parallel broadcast — a Tilak cam — capturing a cricketer entirely in sync with his surroundings.