"Knew which ball and bowler to attack" - Ajinkya Rahane hails star Indian batter after IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 Final

Australia v India: 2nd Test - Day 4 - Source: Getty
Ajinkya Rahane showered high praise on one of India's Asia Cup stars [Credit: Getty]

Veteran Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane praised young left-hander Tilak Varma for the clarity throughout his match-winning knock in the 2025 Asia Cup final against Pakistan. The 22-year-old walked into bat with Team India in early trouble at 10/2 in their run chase of 147.

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Yet, Tilak was unperturbed from the word go, stitching valuable partnerships with Sanju Samson and Shivam Dube. He continued executing to perfection even as the wickets tumbled around him, helping India get over the line in the final over.

Tilak finished unbeaten on 69 from 53 deliveries, with three boundaries and four timely maximums.

Talking about the talented youngster on his YouTube channel, Rahane said (5:08):

"What an amazing knock. Finishing the game and winning it in the final was amazing. We have seen Tilak Varma scoring match-winning runs and big runs consistently for the Mumbai Indians on many occasions. More than the 69 he scored, his composure and calmness under pressure was amazing. His presence of mind and the way he assessed the conditions and the situation, rotating the strike, was so good to see from Tilak Varma. He knew which ball and bowler to attack."
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Tilak was incredibly consistent throughout the tournament, finishing with 213 runs at an average of 71 and a strike rate of 131.48 in seven games.

"He always likes to bowl in the nets" - Ajinkya Rahane on Shivam Dube

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Ajinkya Rahane hailed Shivam Dube for constantly working on his fitness and bowling after the latter's excellent all-round performance in the Asia Cup final against Pakistan. With Hardik Pandya out due to injury, Dube was tasked with opening the bowling in the power play.

Despite a lack of experience with the ball at the international level, the 32-year-old delivered three miserly overs, conceding only 23 runs. Dube followed his impressive spell with a vital 22-ball 33 in India's successful run chase.

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"We all know Shivam can bowl. But personally, I've been watching him work really hard on his fitness and bowling since the last two or three years. He always likes to bowl in the nets, bowling those 6-7 overs with good intensity. With Hardik not playing, he had the responsibility of bowling with the new ball in the power play with Jasprit Bumrah," said Rahane (via the aforementioned source).
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He concluded:

"The way he was running in and the intent to bowl those hard lengths was impressive. And his contribution to whatever the team has asked him to do, he has done it. Also with the bat, his useful contribution and partnership with Tilak Varma was amazing. The intent and composure, while choosing the right deliveries was amazing. We know Dube can hit those big sixes against the spinners. But bowling in the powerplay was slightly out of his comfort zone and he did that really well."

Dube added a crucial 60 runs for the fifth wicket with Tilak Varma to take India within 10 runs of victory.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran
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