Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar couldn’t hold back his admiration for the young Indian batter, Tilak Varma, following India’s dominant six-wicket victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 clash in Dubai. Gavaskar emphatically stated that Varma’s audacious hitting made Pakistan’s ace bowler, Shaheen Shah Afridi, seem “like a net-ball spinner” as India sealed a memorable win.
Entering the fray at number four, Tilak Varma initially adopted a cautious approach, accumulating 20 runs off 17 deliveries. However, he unleashed his true potential in the 19th over, facing Pakistan’s primary strike bowler, Afridi. The 22-year-old sensation decisively ended the match with a massive six, swiftly followed by a perfectly timed boundary. His unbeaten knock of 30 runs from just 19 balls left Gavaskar thoroughly impressed by Varma’s remarkable composure and fearlessness under pressure.
In his column for The Sportstar, Gavaskar highlighted, “In the end, another super-talented batter, Tilak Varma, treated Pakistan’s premier bowler, Shaheen Shah Afridi, like a net-ball spinner and smashed him around to wrap a win with deliveries to spare.”
The celebrated Indian cricketing icon also extended his praise to the entire team for their collective dominance, particularly commending the breathtaking 105-run opening partnership between Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill. Gavaskar noted, “India breezed to a win after a delightful opening partnership between Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill that took the breath away and crushed any hopes the Pakistanis had of winning the game.”
For Pakistan, this match marked a frustrating turn, as Shaheen Afridi remained wicketless in both of his encounters against India in this year’s Asia Cup, exacerbating their challenges. Despite a brief late surge in batting, Pakistan’s total was ultimately 20 runs short of what would have been a truly competitive score, allowing India to maintain complete control throughout the game.
With this significant victory, India now sits atop the Super 4 standings, level on two points with Bangladesh but holding a superior net run rate. The defending champions are showing strong form and are well on their way to another final appearance, with emerging talents like Tilak Varma brilliantly complementing the team’s seasoned players.
For Pakistan, the path forward is clear yet demanding: they must win both of their remaining matches to keep their Asia Cup journey alive, or they face the daunting prospect of watching India compete against Bangladesh in the championship decider.