Former India off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin praised Tilak Varma’s match-winning innings of 69 not out in the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday, where India successfully chased down 147 runs with five wickets remaining and two balls to spare. Varma’s composed knock helped India recover from a precarious position of 20/3, while India’s spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy played crucial roles in restricting Pakistan after their strong start.Ashwin highlighted Varma’s ability to handle pressure and his skillful play against both pace and spin bowling during the chase.“Tilak Varma absolutely stole the show. He showed that he made of veins of ice. Outstanding knock. India were in a very precarious situation. Thanks to Haris Rauf, we won the match easily,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.The former spinner elaborated on Varma’s technical prowess during the innings, particularly noting his adaptability to the playing conditions.“Tilak Varma soaked the pressure. He played spin really well. He played sweeps, he was able to hit down the ground. He realised that the bounce on the wicket was a little sticky and started playing square off the wicket. People think that it is easy to hit this shot (six to Rauf) but falling in the line and picking it up is difficult,” he added.The match saw significant contributions from India’s spin bowling duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy, who helped contain Pakistan’s innings after a strong start.“I would like to give credit to Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav. It was a next level comeback. Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman gave them a superb start. However, this is difference between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka handed our spinners beautifully and even made the right shot selection. If you look at teams in Asia, Pakistan have very good players of spin. However, it is big match pressure. There are many people in the Indian team who can face this pressure,” Ashwin said.Kuldeep Yadav emerged as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker with 17 wickets in seven matches at an average of 9.29.Ashwin provided insights into why Kuldeep Yadav was particularly effective in the tournament, citing the unique characteristics of Dubai’s pitches.“The reason Kuldeep Yadav bowled so well was because, the shot that Sanju got out, the same shot in IPL in Jaipur would have been a six over extra cover. In Dubai, when you bowl slow, the ball sits down and becomes lumpy with more bounce. It takes a top edge. See the example of Saim Ayub, he tried to cut it but it took an edge and Bumrah caught it at point. Wickets like this would never fall in the IPL. Think carefully. That is probably the difference,” he explained.The victory marked a significant achievement for the Indian team under Suryakumar Yadav‘s leadership, with both batting and bowling departments contributing to the successful campaign.The tournament showcased India’s depth in both batting and spin bowling departments, with young players like Tilak Varma stepping up in crucial situations and experienced bowlers like Kuldeep Yadav maintaining consistent performances throughout the competition.
