Tilak Varma became the main hero for Team India in the final of the Asia Cup 2025. In the final match against Pakistan, the young middle-order batter played an unbeaten 69-run innings to ensure India's victory in the summit clash over the archrival. At the age of only 22, the amount of temperament and maturity he showed was remarkable. How did he play a match-winning knock under pressure?

During the latest discussion in a YouTube podcast, India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav revealed how the head coach of Team India, Gautam Gambhir, supported Tilak Varma during the run chase. Yadav said that the match was by then almost under their control. But the pressure was always there.

For a 22-year-old batter, performing in front of a huge crowd is not an easy task. Yadav claims that during the drinks break, Gautam Gambhir perhaps sent Tilak a message: remain until the end of the match. 

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Gambhir advised Tilak how to play 

"Tilak already prepared tha. Agar aap dekho, reverse sweep, switch hit unka favorite shot hain. Final mein unhone ekbar bhi wo shot nehi khela... Unko situation pata tha. Halaki jab pehla drink break hua, Gauti bhai (Gautam Gambhir) sayad gaye bhi the ander, unhone bhi bola hoga ki bas khara rahe ant tak (Tilak Varma was already prepared. If you noticed, during the innings he never played his favorite sweep shot, switch shot... He knew the situation very well. Still, during the first drinks break, Gautam Gambhir himself told him to stay on the wicket until the end)," Yadav said about Varma's batting and Gambhir's way of keeping his composure under pressure. 

In the Asia Cup 2025 final, the southpaw scored 69 not out against 53 deliveries with three 4s and four 6s. India won the match by 5 wickets, chasing a target of 147 runs.