'Tilak Varma is that clutch player' - Irfan Pathan praises MI star's 'unforgettable' performance in IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 final

Mayank Bande

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'Tilak Varma is that clutch player' - Irfan Pathan praises MI star's 'unforgettable' performance in IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 final image

India clinched their ninth Asia Cup title with a 5-wicket win over their arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday in Dubai.

As the game went into the final over, one of the architects of India's win turned out to be Tilak Varma. The Indian middle-order batter came in to bat following a top-order collapse while chasing 147 runs.

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With consecutive fifty partnerships with Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube for the fourth and the fifth wicket, Varma guided India to a win in the final over thriller. He also hit Haris Rauf for a big six to make the win a formality with 4 balls still left, as Rinku Singh hit the winning runs.

The batter received praise from Indian fans and experts, including former all-rounder Irfan Pathan, for holding his nerve in a crucial run-chase.

Here's what Pathan had to say.

Irfan Pathan lauds Tilak Varma's calmness in India's Asia Cup title win

The 22-year-old came into the game with a 49*(34) against Sri Lanka and a 30*(19) against Pakistan during their 172-run chase in the Super Fours.

Carrying his form into the final, Varma scored 69*(53), including four sixes and three fours, to win the Player of the Match award.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Irfan Pathan rated Tilak's innings over his previous two T20I centuries, which he scored against South Africa away from home in 2024.

"Tilak Varma has played a champion's inning. In his T20I career, he has scored two centuries but this knock of 69 runs is his best and the most memorable one."

"The composure and calmness that he should was what everyone calls a clutch player is. India was in big trouble and pressure when he walked in. How easily he soaked in the pressure was memorable.

He further appreciated Varma for not hurrying to play the big shots while the wickets kept tumbling from the other end, especially as the required rate continued creeping up.

Varma ended the tournament with 213 runs in 6 innings at an average of 71.00 and a strike rate of 131.48 with the help of a fifty -- he finished as India's second-highest run-scorer behind Abhishek Sharma's 314 runs in 7 innings.

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Mayank Bande

Mayank Bande has been a content producer at The Sporting News since 2023 and has extensive experience in cricket writing. His work has previously appeared on platforms like OneCricket and Last Word on Sports. Beyond cricket, Mayank closely follows football as an FC Barcelona supporter, along with tennis and Olympic sports. Despite holding a degree in Business Administration, he chose to pursue a career in sports, bringing sharp analysis to his writing as someone who once played cricket.