'They know who's the guy who's hot. Bring him in': Ravi Shastri sends ultimatum to BCCI

Tilak Varma must have had a few surreal days as he made his debut for the Indian team following an overwhelming IPL with Mumbai Indians. The left-handed batsman was quick to make his presence felt with his swashbuckling style as he stamped his authority in the recently concluded India vs West Indies series. With the ICC World Cup hovering around the corner Tilak's name has been doing the rounds.

3 things you need to know

• India lost the five-match T20I series against West Indies 3-2
• Tilak Varma amassed 173 runs in the T20I series held recently
• The Mumbai Indians skipper backed his IPL performance with back-to-back good knocks

Also Read: R Ashwin recalls Dhoni's golden words as he reacts to Hardik's 'losing is good' remark

Will Tilak Varma make it to the Asia Cup squad?

India's experiments in the West Indies series backfired pretty badly as far as their selection criteria are concerned. Rahul Dravid stuck to the point that they are trying to formulate a team for the near future rather than targeting short-term gains.

Also Read: 'People don't give credit what Shikhar Dhawan deserves. That guy was an amazing player': Ravi Shastri

Despite his recent stance, there will be massive concerns over India's form ahead of the Asia Cup and ICC ODI World Cup as the Men in Blue don't seem to be in complete sync ahead of the marquee event. 

However, Tilak Varma's promising form in the midst of a disheartening campaign was one of the shining lights. The 20-year-old youngster returned with a figure of 39, 51, 49, 7, and 27.

Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri showered praises on Tilak Varma

But his heroics went in vain as India lost the five-match T20I series 3-2. Former Indian coach Ravi Shastri feels India should pick Tilak over any other candidate as the 20-year-old does have all the credentials to fit the bill.

"There are three other positions where I think two left-handers have to come in. Now, this is where the selectors' role comes in because they are watching. They know who's the guy who's hot. If Tilak Varma is hot, bring him in. If you think (Yashasvi) Jaiswal is hot, bring him in."

"I am very impressed with Tilak and if I want a left-hander, I would look in that direction. The way he has got his runs over the last three months, whether in the IPL or India, he has ticked all the boxes."

India is yet to announce their provisional squad for the Asia Cup and there could be a surprise inclusion in the offing.