Follow UsFormer Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar heaped praise on Tilak Varma after the youngster hammered Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi with ease in the Super Four clash of the Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai on September 21 (Sunday).
After Pakistan posted 171/5 in their 20 overs, Afridi was taken apart early by Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, before Tilak sealed the chase in style. The left-hander from Hyderabad struck Afridi for two fours and a six in the final phase to take India home.
Afridi endured another tough outing, conceding 40 runs in 3.5 overs. The left-arm pacer had also gone for 23 runs in two overs in the group-stage fixture. Tilak remained unbeaten on 30 off 19 deliveries, calmly finishing the job for India.
“In the end, another super-talented batter, Tilak Varma, treated Pakistan’s premier bowler, Shaheen Shah Afridi, like a net-ball spinner and smashed him around to wrap a win with deliveries to spare,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for The Sportstar.
While Tilak closed out the chase, it was India’s openers who set the tone. Abhishek (74 off 39) and Gill (49 off 28) added 105 runs in just 9.5 overs, all but ending Pakistan’s hopes.
“India breezed to a win after a delightful opening partnership between Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill that took the breath away and crushed any hopes the Pakistanis had of winning the game,” Gavaskar added.
To compound matters for Pakistan, both Afridi and Haris Rauf tried sledging the Indian batters but couldn’t back it up with their bowling. Rauf, though more disciplined than Afridi, finished with 2/26 from four overs but failed to create any real pressure.
"If talks were to win the game, I think they would have won. But it was between bat and ball, and I think that's where India were far, far ahead of Pakistan,” former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh said on Sports Today.
"Their senior bowlers, like Haris or Shaheen Shah Afridi, went for plenty. They couldn't get a single wicket in the first six overs. They are the most experienced players. So if your experienced players are only shouting and talking, and not able to deliver with the ball or bat, you'll see the results they are getting."
India will now face Bangladesh on September 24, while Pakistan meet Sri Lanka on September 22.