Following India's Asia Cup title win over arch-rivals Pakistan, Men in Blue's match-winners Tilak Varma, who played an unbeaten 69* run knock and all-rounder Shivam Dube who contributed a vital 33-run cameo, spoke on how they played smart cricket to chase down the winning total.
It took a patient, well-calculated 69* from Tilak and half-century partnerships with Sanju Samson and Dube to drag India out of troubled waters from 20/3 to a successful run-chase of 147 runs after spin magic of Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel made Pakistan collapse from 113/1 to 146 all out.
Speaking in a video by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Shivam lauded Tilak for the way he built his innings and asked Tilak on his mindset when he walked in to bat.
Tilak said, 'When I went in to bat, I was under a lot of pressure. They were missing the pace with slower balls and quicker ones. They were missing the lengths nicely and I was waiting for my lengths. I was like, stay patient. I was looking to play in the gaps. It was in my mind the longer I stay, the better because opposition is always under pressure when we bat, then he (Dube and Sanju) made my work easier.'
Dube, who played a crucial 22-ball 33 with two fours and two sixes and contributed three vital overs and gave away 23 runs while using the new ball, said: 'I know when I play, I will get a very few balls, and I have to do something big. It was important that I hit two sixes and take the game close to run-a-ball. I got a fine boundary to start off. I had the power. My bat did its work, and they (Pakistan) did not get a chance to speak.'
The all-rounder said that behind his success as a bowler, taking five wickets at an average of 20.20 with his best figures of 3/4, lies the faith and confidence of his captain and coach, as well as the blessings of his fans.
'I felt I was given a chance to do something new during the final (with the new ball), and it was fun.'
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