"Virat Kohli used to do this job" - Former all-rounder lauds Tilak Varma's knock in IND vs PAK Asia Cup 2025 final

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan has lauded Tilak Varma for playing a match-winning knock in the Asia Cup 2025 final against Pakistan. He noted that Virat Kohli used to play such knocks in crunch situations against the Men in Green.

India bowled Pakistan out for 146 in the Asia Cup 2025 final in Dubai on Sunday, September 28. Tilak scored an unbeaten 69 off 53 deliveries in the chase as the Men in Blue achieved the target with five wickets and two deliveries to spare to bag their ninth title in the continental event.

Reviewing the game on Sony Sports, Pathan opined that Tilak had played the best knock of his career, comparing it to Kohli's match-defining efforts against Pakistan.

"Tilak Varma has played the best innings of his career. He has scored two centuries in T20I cricket, but he hasn't played a better innings than this. This is just a 69-run knock, but Tilak Varma would have never faced bigger pressure than this in his career, and he converted that into a big performance brilliantly," he said.

"It seemed at one stage that we would fall way behind. There, he played a Virat Kohli-type inning because Virat Kohli used to do this job. He used to stand like a king in big games against Pakistan in such situations. This inning will be remembered for years," Pathan added.

Tilak Varma walked out to bat when India were reduced to 10/2 in the third over. Although Shubman Gill (12 off 10) was dismissed soon thereafter, Tilak stitched crucial partnerships with Sanju Samson (24 off 21) and Shivam Dube (33 off 22) to take his team over the line.

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"He played this inning with low-risk cricket" - Irfan Pathan on Tilak Varma handling pressure brilliantly in the Asia Cup 2025 final

Tilak Varma struck three fours and four sixes during his unbeaten 69-run knock. [P/C: Getty]

In the same discussion, Irfan Pathan noted that Tilak Varma played low-risk cricket and didn't attempt any extravagant shots under pressure.

"Wickets were falling from the other end, but he kept doing his job. He handled the pressure. He didn't feel that wickets were falling and there would be more pressure at the end, so he should play a big shot. He didn't do that. He played this inning with low-risk cricket," he said.

While observing that Tilak's approach reminded him of Kohli, the cricketer-turned-commentator added that the left-handed batter's presence in the middle ensured that Pakistan couldn't use Mohammad Nawaz for more than one over.

"That's why Virat Kohli's name repeatedly comes to mind because he used to play such low-risk cricket. There is another thing. Mohammad Nawaz's three overs were left because he (Tilak) was playing. If a left-arm spinner bowled fast on this pitch, he would have made it difficult. They (Pakistan) couldn't manage the bowling the way they wanted," Pathan observed.

Mohammad Nawaz conceded six runs in the solitary over he bowled, but wasn't used thereafter. Salman Ali Agha preferred to bowl Haris Rauf his full quota of overs, a move that backfired, as the right-arm seamer was smashed for 50 runs in 3.4 overs.