Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to Tilak Varma's outstanding 72* in IND vs ENG 2nd T20I 2025 ft. Michael Vaughan

Tilak Varma's stature as an international cricketer is growing with each outing. On January 25, 2025, the left-hander single-handedly guided India to a two-wicket win over England in the second T20I in Chennai.

Coming in to bat at number four, the southpaw played a mature innings of 72* (from 55 balls) that included four boundaries and five maximums and won the match for his country.

Varma's knock attracted applause from various cricket experts around the globe. Here is a look at five such expert experts:

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#1 Michael Vaughan

The former English skipper was all praises for Varma after his match-winning knock against England in Chennai. In a conversation with Cricbuzz, Vaughan stated (6.39):

"He's [Varma] a wonderful player. He played the situation at hand. Picked the right ball at the right time to attack. To hold his nerve throughout the whole innings where there were a number of poor options by some of the Indian batters today. I don't think India will bat any worse than they did today. They got over the line by one individual brilliant innings."

Varma held his nerve at the backend of the innings and ensured that his team got over the line despite some batters getting out to reckless shots while batting.

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#2 Zaheer Khan

The former Indian pacer was happy with Varma's match-winning knock. In conversation with Cricbuzz, Khan stated:

"Understanding of the situation (after the powerplay) from Tilak Varma was just superb. He changed the gears, he was understanding the situation. He didnt really dominate through and through. He picked his phases in the game where he was look to take on the bowlers. He was very smart in selecting his options".

Team India lost eight wickets during the run-chase and the batters struggled to get going against a spirited English bowling attack. Khan further added:

"The chase was tricky. Tilak Varma showed lot of maturity to get the team home."

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#3 Sir Alastair Cook

The former English skipper heaped praises on Varma post his match-winning knock against England in Chennai.

Speaking to TNT Sports post the game, Cook stated:

"I said at drinks, if he’s there at the end, then they win the game. He was good enough to do it. The way he went up and down the gears was really impressive."

He further added:

"It’s easy when you’re sitting here, but doing it with the crowd and the noise, and having the confidence. A really classy innings, and it shows T20 is not just all the shots, it’s playing the situation."

The 22-year-old Varma has made a name for himself in the shortest format. He averages 58.92 in 21 T20I innings and has an astounding strike rate of 156.07 with two centuries and three half-centuries in T20Is.

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#4 Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra had a special mention for the young Tilak Varma. Referring to Varma as a champion and the team as a champion team on his YouTube channel, he stated (0.23):

"The first hundred which he made in South Africa batting at number three, from that time, he has not been out a single time. Pace, spin, away home he has been absolutely consistent. Rock solid. He has always had the skill and he showed great temprement this game."

For the record, Varma, in his last four T20I innings, has scored 318 runs without getting dismissed with two centuries and one half-century in the said four innings.

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#5 Ravichandran Ashwin

The former Indian spinner took to X to describe Varma's match-winning knock. According to Ashwin, Varma ticked all the boxes during the run-chase and proved to be a match-winner. He tweeted:

"Match winning knock , Handling pressure, Descision making, Tempo & choosing his match ups. Tilak Varma."

Ashwin praised Varma for his match-winning knock, his ability to handle pressure, his decision-making, and, most of all, his tempo and choice of matchups.

Varma played a crucial innings under pressure and targeted the right bowlers to get India over the line.

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