Tilak Varma's versatility hailed: Ex-players, fans praise India's crisis man as MI star guides India to an epic run chase vs New Zealand originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Tilak Varma made an unbeaten 51 off 26 balls to win the second T20I for India vs New Zealand.
- India were 70 for 5 and then 112 for 6 before Tilak and Nitish Kumar Reddy rescued the chase.
- Former India star Irfan Pathan praised Tilak's ability to bat anywhere in the order.
Tilak Varma's unbeaten 51 rescues India from 70 for 5 at Hagley Oval
Tilak Varma has pulled India out of trouble for the last couple of years, but the version of it he produced in Christchurch on Saturday was something else. India were 70 for 5 chasing 181 in the 2nd T20I at Christchurch, and he finished unbeaten on 51 from 26 balls, taking them home with a ball to spare.
Mitchell Santner had torn through the top order to leave the chase in ruins, the New Zealand captain eventually finishing with 4 for 21. When Naman Dhir fell for 31 in the 15th over, India were 112 for 6 and still needed 69 from 31 deliveries with only Nitish Kumar Reddy and the tail to come.
What followed was an unbroken seventh-wicket stand of 69 off just 30 balls. Seventeen came off Jacob Duffy's third over, and Tilak then took four boundaries off Nathan Smith in the penultimate over to swing it decisively before Reddy, unbeaten on 26 from 13, hit the winning runs.
Tilak batted at number six on the night, below a promoted Axar Patel, and his six fours and a six came at a strike rate of 196. New Zealand will reflect on a dropped chance at point from Bevon Jacobs that gave him a life and on a total of 180 for 5 built around Glenn Phillips' 70 and Jacobs' 58 that proved 11 runs short.
MORE: 'Fielding like Pakistan': NZ fielders trolled after failing to defend 180 vs India
Irfan Pathan says Tilak Varma's versatility puts him in a different league
Among the former players who weighed in afterwards, Irfan Pathan focused less on the runs than on where they came from, pointing to a batter who has now delivered from almost every position in the order.
"Versatility of Tilak Varma is Admirable. This win came on the back of his sheer ability to bat anywhere, and to be able to deliver under pressure puts him in a different league," Pathan said.
Versatility of Tilak Varma is Admirable.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) October 24, 2026
This win came on the back of his sheer ability to bat anywhere and to be able to deliver under pressure puts him in a diffrent league.
Author Niket Soni admitted he had written the match off before the stand began and spread the credit between both unbeaten batters. "WHAT A GAME! At one point, I genuinely thought it was over. But what a comeback! Take a bow, Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy! Cricket is never over until it's over!" Soni wrote.
WHAT A GAME! 🔥🤯
— NIKET SONI (@NiketSoni2) October 24, 2026
At one point, I genuinely thought it was over. But what a comeback!
Take a bow, Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy! 👏🏏
Cricket is never over until it’s over! ❤️🔥
Some fans even reached for the highest compliment available to an Indian finisher, and more than one invoked the name that has defined the role for two decades. "Tilak Verma is one heck of a player. This guy is building a Dhoniish reputation when it comes to finishing. What a knock!!!" one fan wrote.
Tilak Verma is one heck of a player.
— Mohammad Aizaz (@SeedaBalla93) October 24, 2026
This guy is building a Dhoniish reputation when it comes to finishing. What a knock!!!
Another laid out the situation he walked into alongside the numbers he produced, and the contrast between the two did most of the work. "TAKE A BOW, TILAK VERMA. Team India at one point 70/5, and he came in under pressure, and he smashed 51* runs from 26 balls, including 6 fours and 1 six in a successful run chase - What a Knock by Tilak," they posted.
TAKE A BOW, TILAK VERMA.🙇
— Tanuj (@ImTanujSingh) October 24, 2026
Team India at one point 70/5 and he came in under pressure and he smashed 51* runs from 26 balls including 6 fours and 1 six in successful run chase - What a Knock by Tilak. 👏 pic.twitter.com/b9NVunyisV
One supporter spread the credit further down the card, remembering the 31 from Naman Dhir that kept India within range before the final stand began. "What a match. What a knock from Tilak Varma, and Nitish Kumar Reddy's knock was special too. Also, special thanks to Naman Dhir. Well done, team India," they wrote.
What a match what a knock from Tilak Varma and Nitish Kumar Reddy's knock was special too also special thanks to Naman dhir well done team India.
— Kevin (@imkevin149) October 24, 2026
Reddy, with his 26 off 13, and Dhir, with his 17-ball-31, also played a major role in India's win against the Kiwis.
MORE: 'No reply': Amit Mishra reveals shocking cold shoulder from Virat
Tilak has quietly become the batter India build their lower middle order around
Pathan's point about versatility is the one worth holding onto, as it explains why India keep finding themselves rescued by the same player. Tilak has batted at three and four for India in the past, and on Saturday he came in at six behind a promoted Axar Patel and still produced the innings of the match.
Very few batters absorb that kind of shuffling without their output dropping. The Dhoni comparisons are premature and probably unhelpful, since one 26-ball fifty does not build a finishing career.
What is fair to say is that India have now won two completely different games in three days, chasing 226 and then recovering from 70 for 5, with Tilak central to the second of them.
The concern it masks is that India's top order has been rescued rather than functioning. Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Shreyas Iyer contributed 52 runs between them, while Santner found enough in the surface to take four wickets on a ground where 181 should not have been difficult. India now lead 2-0 in the series, but a side that needs its number six to produce a miracle every time will not keep getting away with it.
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