Hyderabad: Tilak Varma anchored India’s five-wicket win over Pakistan in the Asia Cup final on Sunday with his unbeaten 69 (53b, 3×4, 4×6), helping India chase down 147. Unfazed by the loss of early wickets, Tilak added 57 for the fourth wicket with Sanju Samson and 60 for the fifth with Shivam Dube. Tilak has been in similar situations for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League (IPL) knockouts — he scored 207 runs in five innings at a strike rate of over 160 — but playing against Pakistan in a high-voltage game called for the steely resolve the Hyderabadi displayed. The 22-year-old has enviable numbers in T20I chases — 370 runs in 11 innings, an average of 92.50, and a strike rate of 134.54 with three fifties. In the Asia Cup, Tilak totalled 213 runs in six innings with a strike rate of 131.48, India’s second-highest run-getter after Abhishek Sharma’s 314 runs.
“There was pressure. They were bowling well. They were mixing up the pace. I was breathing and trying to stay calm. One of the most special knocks of my life. Chak De India,” said the elated cricketer after the match. “We have prepared for every position. You should be flexible. I was prepared to bat at any order. I was backing my game,” he added. Back home in Hyderabad, his childhood coach Salam Bayash at the Legala Cricket Academy revealed the hard work the player put in to become a match-winner for India. “To play such an innings in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan in such a situation is extremely satisfying. Tilak has become a national hero with the innings,” said the excited coach. “He has worked hard on his game since his debut two years ago. Even before the match, I spoke to him and told him to never leave the match unfinished. I am happy to see his hard work paying off,” Bayash added. “Tilak used to be aggressive in his approach and lose his wicket. He bats at a position where he has to finish the match. So, he learnt to play according to the match situation quickly,” Bayash further explained. Before the Asia Cup, Tilak was playing red-ball cricket for Hampshire County. He had very little time to adjust to white-ball cricket. “After coming from county cricket, we had two days’ time and we prepared pitches that suited the Dubai conditions and practised on them. He also worked on his back-foot shots. That did help him,” he revealed. His coach believes that Tilak is an all-format player and has much to offer in Tests. “I have been saying this. He is an all-format player and red-ball cricket is his strong suit. Hope he gets his chance in Tests.”
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