Bharath Ramaraj in Dubai
‘Where is the trophy?’ In the aftermath of the India-Pakistan Asia Cup final at the Dubai International Stadium, this was the question lingering on everyone’s lips. Team India celebrated too, without the trophy in their hands. Amid all the cacophony surrounding the trophy-less celebrations, we can’t forget that it turned out to be a thrilling encounter, with a certain Tilak Varma coming to the fore.
It was an innings that told you everything you wanted to know about the cricketer’s temperament. The score read 20 for 3 at one point of time. But just a glance at Tilak’s body language, and it never felt as if he believed India were staring at defeat.
Just a few deliveries after the fall of Shubman Gill’s wicket, he cracked a four and a six off consecutive deliveries from Faheem Ashraf. After Shivam Dube’s wicket in the penultimate over, he pulled one into the stands to more or less seal the deal for India. Simply put, every shot that Tilak played had the stamp of his temperament associated with it.
This is also not the first time that we have seen Tilak steering India out of a quagmire. Earlier in the year, it was his innings of 72 off 55 deliveries that helped India sail through troubled waters. During that course of the knock, there were occasions when he grappled with Adil Rashid’s wrist-spin. But the way he navigated that phase showcased the keynote of his batting – The mental ability to soak up pressure and locate the right key to open the door of success. He also knows how to make the most of his good form, as seen by his twin centuries against South Africa last year.
Just scratch beneath the surface, and there was something else to observe about Tilak’s batsmanship – His ability to pick the length early against spin. Over the last few months, there have been whispers about Tilak not being able to score at a healthy strike-rate against the tweakers. On Sunday, he got low and slog-swept Abrar Ahmed. He also went right back and then right forward while playing Mohammad Nawaz. It was an indicator that all the hard work behind the scenes has eventually paid off.
Every shot that Tilak played on the night made you think he was chasing improvement in his practice sessions. And each also convinced you that he has nerves of steel. The kind of cricketer who might just branch out his game and burn brightly in other formats. For the time being, his name would be etched in many minds, if not on the Asia Cup trophy. A trophy-less triumph or not, Tilak was clearly a winner.
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