NEW DELHI: Indian batter Tilak Varma backed captain Suryakumar Yadav’s statement that Pakistan is no competition for India. Reflecting on the Asia Cup final against Pakistan, Varma revealed the pressure he felt but emphasized that the country always comes first.Varma’s match-winning 69* off 53 balls was pivotal in India’s five-wicket triumph over Pakistan, securing the Asia Cup 2025 title.
“I agree with what Surya bhai (Surya Kumar Yadav) said, that it (Pakistan) is no competition. But we change our strategy from match to match…There indeed was pressure; a lot was going on in my mind. But the country is above everything else. India is at the top. So, I was determined to give everything for my country. I tried to be calm,” Tilak Varma told the media.“Pressure was there. Lots of things were going in mind. Desh ke liye jaan de dunga (I will give up my life for my nation). I was calm under pressure (in the last over). I knew that I will win the game. I was just thinking about my country and was focussing on one ball at a time. I backed myself to deliver for the country and I am so proud of it,” he added.Under Suryakumar’s captaincy, Team India has continued its dominant run in T20Is, winning 18 matches, losing just two, and tying two since he first took the helm.In the Asia Cup final, India won the toss and elected to field first. Pakistan got a strong start thanks to an 84-run partnership between Sahidzada Farhan (57 off 38 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) and Fakhar Zaman (46 off 35 balls, with two fours and two sixes).However, India’s spinners, Kuldeep Yadav (4/30) and Varun Chakravarthy (2/30), triggered a dramatic collapse. Pakistan tumbled from 113/1 in 12.4 overs to 146 all out in 19.1 overs, with Jasprit Bumrah (2/25) picking up the final two wickets.During the run-chase, India lost early wickets, sinking to 20/3 following a fiery spell from Faheem Ashraf (3/29). Tilak Varma (69* off 53 balls, with three fours and four sixes) then steadied the innings, stitching a 57-run partnership with Sanju Samson (24 off 21 balls, with two fours and a six).Shivam Dube (33 off 22 balls, with two fours and two sixes) joined Tilak in a powerful alliance that brought India back firmly into control despite occasional resistance from Pakistan. Ultimately, Rinku Singh, playing his first Asia Cup match, sealed the win with a strike on the first ball, completing India’s five-wicket victory.
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