India won their record eighth Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday, defeating archrivals Pakistan by five wickets in a nail-biting final that went down to the last over. The night, however, will be remembered for Tilak Varma’s match-winning knock, which made an old Rohit Sharma prediction come true.
Rohit Sharma, famed for identifying youthful potential early on, praised Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera in an interview in 2023, suggesting that they will have a huge impact on the national squad within two years. Rohit’s prediction, which reappeared on social media after the final, went viral when Tilak hit a match-winning knock against Pakistan.
“It is going to be the same story with what has happened with Bumrah, Hardik, and all these guys. Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera… you watch the next two years. But then people will say ‘it is a superstar team’. Yes, it is, we are making them here. These two guys are going to be huge stars for us and for India,” Rohit said in a conversation with JioCinema.
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Tilak anchors India’s chase
The match began with Pakistan asked to bat first. Sahibzada Farhan (57) and Fakhar Zaman (46) put on an 84-run opening stand. At 113/1 in the 13th over, Pakistan looked destined for 180-plus total, but the team suffered a dramatic collapse. India’s spinners, including Kuldeep Yadav, dismantled Pakistan’s middle order.
Kuldeep, who had been expensive early, bounced back with four wickets, including three in a single over, while Varun Chakravarthy, Axar Patel, and Jasprit Bumrah chipped in with two apiece. The Men in Green eventually were bowled out for 146, losing nine wickets for just 33 runs.
Chasing 147, India had a disastrous start. Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, and Shubman Gill all fell cheaply, giving the early advantage to Pakistan. Following this, Tilak Varma and Sanju Samson stitched a crucial 57-run partnership, with Samson playing a steady hand before falling to Abrar Ahmed.
However, Tilak held one end and anchored the chase. His unbeaten 69 off 53 balls kept the team in the hunt. He found support in Shivam Dube (33 off 22), with the pair adding another crucial stand that shifted the balance back towards India. Even when wickets fell, the southpaw finished the job by himself. With 10 needed off the final over, he smashed Haris Rauf for a six, nearly sealing the deal before Rinku Singh struck the winning runs.
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