Tilak Varma drafted a masterclass during the Asia Cup 2025 finals against Pakistan to secure a 5-wicket win for India at Dubai.
His ability to make composed knocks in the high-pressure finals hints at the emergence of a new star for the Indian side.
Despite Pakistan bowlers were at dominance at Dubai, Tilak Varma took over the responsibilty of taking the game forward. With his unbeaten 69 runs, India went on to claim their 9th Asia Cup title.
India refused to take trophy from PCB chief and ACC president, Mohsin Naqvi. The ceremony was delayed by over an hour following India’s victory on Sunday as India walked off the field without the silverware.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav confirmed that the decision was entirely India’s, mentioning that no external pressure had forced their hand. He added that as a consequence the trophy was not awarded to them.
India had reportedly been willing to receive it from Emirates Cricket Board vice-chairman Khalid Al Zarooni who shared the stage.
Tilak who had been underrated in his early career, has justified his inclusion in the India squad.
Tilak Varma scored a fantastic unbeaten fifty in the chase to power #TeamIndia to a title triumph 🏆 & bagged the Player of the Match award 👏👏
Scorecard ▶️ https://t.co/0VXKuKPkE2#AsiaCup2025 | #Final pic.twitter.com/17XSNuABmN
— BCCI (@BCCI) September 28, 2025
Back in 2022, when he was at the age of 19, Rohis Sharma predicted that Tilak Varma would be soon an all-format player for India with his technique, temperament and range of stroke play.
“When Suryakumar was at his peak, nobody could look beyond him because he had taken T20 batting to the next level. Then came Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson. They were opening and both batters were getting those hundreds,” added Manjrekar.
“So, Tilak had to make do with whatever opportunities that he had. But here, he has shown that he can be a lynchpin at that position. Even in the last game against Pakistan, he was the one who put the finishing touches,” added Manjrekar.
“There is something about him, and we saw that in the IPL while he was playing for Mumbai Indians. Now, under pressure, he is delivering too,” said Sanjay Manjrekar.
Coming to bat on the high pressure situation he played a calm and steady innings and echoes of the 2017 Champions Trophy final. reverberated around the ground.
The question now was whether India could recover with the bat in the same way they had with the ball. Drawing on their IPL experience of navigating tense situations, the pair rotated strike, punished loose deliveries, and steadied the innings.
After Samson’s dismissal, Shivam Dube joined Tilak Varma to complete the chase. After Dube’s dismissal, Rinku Singh joined him claiming five wicket victory for India.
