The electric atmosphere of the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium was the perfect backdrop for Tilak Varma’s unforgettable unbeaten knock—a masterful 55-ball 72 with a dash of MS Dhoni-inspired brilliance in Thala’s IPL home.
Tilak guided India to a thrilling victory in the second T20I against England in Chennai, in a knock that embodied the ethos of Dhoni’s legendary chasing mantra: stay calm, target weak links, respect good balls, and punish the poor ones.
With wickets falling around him, Tilak changed his natural game, farming the strike in the tense final moments and delivering crucial hits to take India over the line with two wickets in hand.
On a humid evening at Chepauk, under the watchful gaze of its passionate cricket-loving crowd, India’s new No.3 Tilak produced a knock that Virat Kohli himself would have been proud of.
The game ebbed and flowed one way, then the other, but in the end, Tilak ensured India got over the line right at the death and took a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20I series.
Before the game, Tilak revealed in an interview how the thought of Chennai always brought to mind the legacy of MS Dhoni-arguably cricket’s greatest finisher. If there was ever an homage to “Thala,” Tilak’s unbeaten 72 off 55 balls was it. His approach? Vintage Dhoni. His execution? Pure Tilak brilliance.
TILAK RESCUES INDIA IN CHENNAI
India’s chase began on shaky ground, with England’s pace-heavy attack making early inroads. Mark Wood trapped Abhishek Sharma for 12, Jofra Archer dismissed Sanju Samson with a well-directed short ball, and Brydon Carse bowled Suryakumar Yadav in the PowerPlay, leaving India struggling at 59 for 3.
Amid the chaos, Tilak stood tall, igniting the Chepauk crowd with flashes of brilliance. Facing Archer’s fiery spell, he struck two crisp fours and a towering six off a 150 kph thunderbolt, signalling his intent. Calmly assessing the conditions, Tilak rotated the strike when needed and unleashed his aggression at the right moments.
Quick dismissals of Dhruv Jurel and Hardik Pandya further dented India’s chase, reducing them to 78 for 5. A pivotal moment came in the 13th over when Adil Rashid dropped Washington Sundar. A rattled Wood then overstepped, gifting Sundar a free-hit six and two more boundaries, briefly shifting momentum and reducing the target to 53 runs from seven overs.
England struck back as Carse clean-bowled Sundar and Liam Livingstone dismissed Axar Patel, putting India on the brink of defeat. But Tilak had other plans.
India vs England 2nd T20I Highlights
The turning point came in Archer’s final over, where Tilak smashed 19 runs, bringing up his half-century in just 38 balls. With the equation down to 13 off two overs, Tilak found a reliable partner in Ravi Bishnoi, who held his nerve to hit two crucial boundaries in an unbeaten 9.
Tilak calmly negotiated Livingstone’s penultimate over, taking seven runs, before sealing the chase in the final over with poise and class, finishing the match with two balls to spare.
This knock wasn’t just about securing a victory; it was a coming-of-age moment for Tilak Varma. Calm under pressure, strategic in execution, and inspired by Dhoni’s finishing style, Tilak reaffirmed India captain Rohit Sharma’s IPL 2022 prediction that the young southpaw would become a key all-format player for the team.
“I wanted to work on my strike rate. Last IPL, bowlers were able to keep me quiet by bowling short length or short of hard length. I could take only singles. I realised that if I can play those deliveries by playing pick up shots and handle bouncers better, it can be of great help to me. With those efforts, I was able to improve my strike rate and range,” Tilak explained how he worked on playing short balls after IPL last year.
Tilak has already scored two T20I hundreds but this will be remembered as his greatest T20 innings, a knock of a different kind altogether.
It was one of those unforgettable T20 innings, where Tilak adjusted to varied pace at every twist and turn, showing off both technique and temperament in equal measure.
As Tilak walked off the field, bat raised and helmet in hand, the Chepauk crowd erupted and captain Suryakumar Yadav bowed down, knowing they had witnessed the rise of India’s future cricket superstar.
