Tilak Varma Opens Up On Virat Kohli Comparisons: ‘Matter Of Pride But…’ | Cricket News

India middle-order star Tilak Varma on Tuesday said that ‘it was a matter of pride’ for him to be compared with Virat Kohli after the match-winning knock in the 2025 Asia Cup final against Pakistan. But, he added, that he wasn’t focused on emulating the Indian legend, and was more concerned with winning matches for India.

Varma top-scored with an unbeaten 69 in the match, steering India’s chase after three quick wickets fell in the powerplay while pursuing 147. His innings carried the team into the final over and secured a five-wicket win. Irfan Pathan and other pundits compared him to Kohli for similar anchoring knocks that often began in the powerplay when the team was several wickets down and ended unbeaten.

“It is always a matter of pride when you get spoken in the same breath as a legend like Virat bhai. But my focus is just winning the matches for the country,” Varma said at a press conference on Tuesday, as quoted by PTI.

Unlike Kohli, Varma was subjected to repeated sledging, with videos capturing Pakistani players mocking him by saying he wasn’t in Mumbai. Unshaken, he let the bat do the talking and was later named Player of the Match.

“During the match, I was just focusing on my basics, I was not ready to answer them. Whatever I want to tell them I told them after the match and not when the game was going on. There were a lot of things happening in the middle but I can’t reveal all of them. Those things happen in India vs Pakistan matches and they are part of the game. But our focus was on winning the match,” he said.

He has already shifted his focus further ahead.

“I am happy that I could make India win the Asia Cup. I started playing cricket after the 2011 World Cup. The (T20) World Cup is going to take place soon. That is my real aim. I will get sleep only after I win the World Cup,” Tilak added

Though he diverted from revealing details about the Pakistan side of the controversies but he did agree with Suryakumar Yadav’s statement that a rivalry with the Men in Green no longer existed for India because of their lopsided win record over them.

“I agree with Surya bhai’s statement but this is sports and we knew that they will come prepared for the final. We were expecting that and we were prepared when they took the pace off the ball and the pitch was also not easy to bat on. We made some good partnerships and won the match and are proud of that,” he noted.

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