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The striking similarities between Tilak Varma’s Asia Cup final knock and Kohli’s 82 vs Pakistan

Anurag Dasgupta

Similarities between Tilak and Kohli [Source: AFP Photo]Similarities between Tilak and Kohli [Source: AFP Photo]

Every cricketer needs that one particular knock to cement their legacy in this sport, and for Tilak Varma, it was his scintillating innings against Pakistan that took him from a promising player to an upcoming superstar. Under extreme pressure, the batter remained calm and produced a brilliant run-chase to steer India home.

Interestingly, this knock reminded everyone of Virat Kohli, the original nemesis of the Pakistan cricket team. The legendary batter had a terrific record against them, and this Tilak Varma innings was similar to what Kohli played against Pakistan at MCG in 2022.

Here are 3 similarities that the Tolak knock had with Kohli’s unbeaten 82 against Pakistan in T20 World Cup 2022.

Tilak following Kohli-esque batting template

What is Virat Kohli’s style of batting in T20 cricket?. He believes in taking singles and doubles early in his innings, with occasional boundaries here and there. Tilak Varma had a similar approach as India lost wickets early in the chase, and he followed the Kohli-esque T20I template and worked the gaps in the early going before accelerating to finish the game in style.

In the Pakistan match at the MCG in 2022, Kohli struggled initially as he worked in singles and doubles, but once he got settled in, the batter finished off things in style. This was a striking feature of Tilak’s knock against Pakistan in Dubai as well.

Wickets kept tumbling at other end

In the high-octane clash against Pakistan in 2022, India lost 4 wickets for just 31 runs as pressure mounted on Virat Kohli to steer India home. In a big game, with wickets lost inside the power-play, Kohli kept a cool head as he slowly and steadily marched towards the target and took his side past the winning line.

Tilak Varma had a similar situation in front of him during the Asia Cup final. India lost SKY, Abhishek Sharma, and Shubman Gill inside 20 runs, and the required rate jumped high. Similar to Kohli, Tilak showed immense maturity and made sure that he stayed till the end and the wicket tumbling didn’t affect his batting.

Haris Rauf, the victim in both games

Who could forget Kohli’s two back-to-back sixes under pressure against Haris Rauf in the T20 World Cup in 2022?. The veteran batter snatched the match from the jaws of defeat and made Rauf his bunny by scoring 12 runs off 2 deliveries and turning the tide for India. Interestingly, in that match, most of Kohli’s runs came against the pacers as he struggled against spin bowlers.

Similarly, Tilak struggled a bit against the spinners, but he made Rauf crumble as the Pakistan pacer was taken to the cleaners and he conceded 50 runs in just 3.4 overs. In both the matches, Rauf was the prime target as the Indian batters (Kohli, and Tilak) tormented Pakistan's best pacer.