Tilak Varma’s 69* in chasing cause in Asia Cup 2025 Final proves his utility as a finisher

Tilak Varma’s unbeaten 69 in Asia Cup 2025 Final chase highlights his growing value as India’s dependable T20 finisher.

The stage was set for India’s Tilak Varma to deliver in the high-pressure 2025 Asia Cup final against Pakistan, with 10 runs needed off the last over. The southpaw didn’t disappoint. Reading Haris Rauf’s plan to bowl wide outside off, Tilak stepped forward and launched a mighty six over deep square leg, swinging the momentum India’s way. With just 2 runs required off 4 balls, he calmly took a single, leaving Rinku Singh — facing his very first ball of the tournament — to seal the victory with a confident stroke off the next delivery.

It was a finish that players dream of. And, Tilak once again, lived up to the expectations. His 69 not out in the final was easily the best knock in his T20I career which has enhanced his reputation as a batter who could bat till the end to set up an innings or anchor/finish off a chase. 

Finisher Tilak anchors chase brilliantly 
That six off Rauf will be remembered on par with — if not greater than — MS Dhoni’s iconic winning strike in the 2011 World Cup final. But Tilak Varma’s growing stature as his captain’s go-to finisher isn’t built on one shot alone. His unbeaten 69 was a masterclass in composure under fire, crafted when India were in real trouble at 20/3 within 4 overs while chasing 147 on a sluggish wicket.

Coming in to bat at No. 4, Tilak was all calm and unhurried. He soaked up all the pressure, relying on rotating the strike, to keep the scoreboard ticking, and putting the pressure off. It was only in the sixth over,  the last of the powerplay, that Tilak freed his arms, unleashing a trademark backfoot drive through covers for four, and flicking a ball down the legside for a six in the next delivery off Faheem Ashraf’s bowling. Those two shots put pressure back on Pakistan. 

Tilak paced his innings brilliantly, not only dropping anchor but also ensuring India kept up with the run-rate by rotating the strike and hitting the odd boundaries. He put up a crucial 57-run stand with Sanju Samson for the fourth wicket. Later, he and Shivam Dube posted the match-winning stand of 60 runs for the fifth wicket to all but seal the game for India. 

After the 10^th over break, Tilak showed good intent to score runs briskly, hitting a six in the 11^th over off Abrar Ahmed. Eventually, when the run-rate climbed to over 10, he targeted Pakistan’s weakest link  – Rauf, to hit a four and six in the 15^th over.  It was sensible batting then as India coasted home with two balls to spare. 

Read More: Asia Cup 2025 Final, IND vs PAK: Tilak Varma’s calm 69* helps India get ninth title

Tilak’s calmness stands out
What stood out was Tilak’s great calmness in his innings, despite all the pressure, wickets tumbling at the other end, combating the slowness of the pitch, and quality bowling from Pakistan bowlers who cut off all the pace off the ball making the batters work hard for their runs. Eventually, the sensible and intelligent batting from Tilak prevailed as he finished off a great chase to remember. 

Tilak shines in Asia Cup at different batting positions
A look at his performance during the Asia Cup showed Tilak’s great skills as a finisher as he batted from No. 4 to No. 7 and still made those useful knocks that made the difference to the end result. 

In the league game against Pakistan, he made a run-a-ball 31 on a slow pitch batting at No 4, a quick 18-ball 29 against Oman while batting at No 7,  a 19-ball 30 not out at No. 4 against Pakistan in Super 4 to finish off another chase, and a valuable 34-ball 49 not out at No 4 against Sri Lanka to help India put up 202/5. And finally, topping it with a masterclass 69 not out against Pakistan in the final. 

All these knocks were worth in gold as it gave India the momentum towards the finish line. Despite batting at various positions in the Asia Cup, Tilak made no bones about it, and went about his task of finishing games for India. After the final, he said, “You should be flexible. I was prepared to bat at any position. I was backing my game.”

Read More: Numerical story of India’s batting dominance in T20Is post T20 WC 2022

Tilak builds his T20I career in same style
Tilak Varma has been building his T20I career as a reliable finisher who can soak up all the pressure to play according to the demands of the match situation – to seal wins for his team. He averages 55.37 batting at No. 3 for India in T20Is, but it goes up to 62.14 when he bats at No. 4 where he plays the central role of guiding the team past the finish line. 

What lies ahead of Tilak
India have definitely unearthed a gem of a batter in Tilak who can bat from No. 3 to No. 7 and finish off chases or score according to match situation when batting first to set up a big total. This Asia Cup has shown different facets of Tilak where he is not hesitant to bat at any positions and do the jobs required of him for his team. The future looks bright for Tilak as this matured innings showed Tilak has a great cricketing brain. He holds a lot of promise as his potential is yet to be fully tapped.

Read More: India stand vindicated; There’s no written rule that forces teams to end game with handshake