NEW DELHI: Winning the Asia Cup was the “best reply” to an aggressive opposition, middle-order batter Tilak Varma said on Tuesday, revealing how he handled initial pressure and verbal volleys from Pakistan players en route to his match-winning half-century in the final. Tilak scored an unbeaten 69 to guide India to a five-wicket victory over their arch-rivals at Dubai last Sunday.“There was some pressure and nerves initially. But I have placed my country ahead of everything else and I wanted to win the match for the country. I knew if I succumbed to the pressure at that time I would be letting down myself and 140 crore people of the country,” Tilak said after arriving from Dubai.“I believed in the basics that I learned as a young cricketer from my coaches and executed it. The best reply to them was to win the match and that’s what we did,” he added.Tilak admitted that the Pakistan players indulged in intense sledging during the match, but he chose to remain silent while chasing 147.“After Operation Sindoor, they came hard on us. We have replied in a good way to them by playing sports the way it should be played. We lost three wickets quickly and things were a bit heated up then.“I came to bat a bit earlier than normal. But I did not say anything or play a rash shot, as it would have let the team and country down then,” he said.However, the Hyderabadi revealed that he spoke his mind to the Pakistan players only after India surpassed the target.“During the match, I was just focusing on my basics, I was not ready to answer them. Whatever I want to tell them I told them after the match and not when the game was going on.“There were a lot of things happening in the middle but I can’t reveal all of them. Those things happen in India vs Pakistan matches and they are part of the game. But our focus was on winning the match,” he said.India needed 10 runs off the final over bowled by pacer Haris Rauf, and Tilak said he was able to stay calm under pressure.
“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.Unsurprisingly, Tilak described the innings as one of the best of his young career.“I would rate this as one of the best innings. (Along) with this, I could also rate one more innings which I played earlier in Chennai against England (an unbeaten 72 that steered India to a two-wicket win).“Of course, playing in the Asia Cup, that too against Pakistan under pressure, is one of the greatest feelings. So, I would rate this as my one of the best innings compared to my two hundreds. This is the best feeling ever I experienced,” he gushed.Tilak credited India’s win to partnerships on a tricky batting pitch.“I agree with Surya bhai’s statement of ‘no rivalry’ but this is sports and we knew that they will come prepared for the final.“We were expecting that and we were prepared when they took the pace off the ball and the pitch was also not easy to bat on. We made some good partnerships and won the match and are proud of that,” he noted.After managing a tense chase successfully, Tilak was compared to Virat Kohli, the original ‘chase master’, but the 22-year-old remained grounded.“It is always a matter of pride when you get spoken in the same breath as a legend like Virat bhai. But my focus is just winning the matches for the country,” he said.Tilak now has his sights set on next year’s T20 World Cup at home.“I am happy that I could make India win the Asia Cup. I started playing cricket after the 2011 World Cup. The (T20) World Cup is going to take place soon. That is my real aim. I will get sleep only after I win the World Cup,” he added.He also expressed gratitude to his childhood coaches who shaped his early career.“Everyone knows my name now, everyone knows who Tilak Varma is. But when nobody knew me, my coaches were with me, backed me big time, and have helped me build and shape my career since I was a child.“Ups and downs are a part of the game. I started at Legala Cricket Academy, and whenever I practice here, I gain confidence. I know if I’m on this soil, I’ll get confidence.“My coaches, Salam (Bayash) sir and Prithvi sir, are everything to me, and they’ve done a lot for me. Special thanks to the Hyderabad Cricket Association and the BCCI for giving me this opportunity,” he signed off.
