Tilak Varma’s ‘Helicopter’ Shot Goes Viral, Netizens Compare Youngster To MS Dhoni

Tilak Varma of the Mumbai Indians scored 84 not out off 46 balls with four sixes and nine fours to give the five-time champions a fighting chance in their IPL 2023 opener against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Bengaluru on Sunday (April 2). Tilak’s brilliance, however, was insufficient to avoid Mumbai Indians’ 11th loss in the first match of the IPL.

There was lots to admire in Tilak Varma’s excellent performance, none more so than his spectacular ‘helicopter’ shot in the last over of the Mumbai Indians innings off RCB bowler Harshal Patel. The shot came off the penultimate ball of the final over, when Tilak casually flipped Harshal into the stands, reminding fans of MS Dhoni’s signature ‘Helicopter’ shot.

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Tilak Verma … wow! And the helicopter was a cherry in top. #IPL23 #MIvsRCB pic.twitter.com/xNzjH9BCyg

— Sheel Majumdar (@SheelMajumdar) April 2, 2023

MI batters failed to get going barring Tilak Verma, who scored an unbeaten 84 off 46 balls that helped MI post a respectable 171 for 7. “Tilak played brilliantly, but he didn’t get much help. I think 170 on a really small ground was not a good total. I think 190 could have been a par total,” said Mumbai Indians bowling coach Shane Bond after the match.

“We didn’t bowl well. We knew how important the opening partnership is going to be. We couldn’t break it and failed to apply pressure even,” Bond added.

The five-time winners were defeated by Royal Challengers Bangalore by eight wickets in their 11th successive season opening on Sunday. MI last won their first game in 2012, when they defeated the Chennai Super Kings.

Also Read: CSK vs LSG, IPL 2023: Match Details, Probable 11, Pitch Report, Prediction, Fantasy Cricket Tips And Live Streaming Details (cricfiles.com)