First of all, Australia is playing against India in the second T20I of the five-match series at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on October 31, 2025. After winning the toss in the match, Australia decided to bowl first. India’s batting lineup couldn’t catch the flow and the club of batsmen, hence they fell apart for 125 runs only. In fact, it was only a young opener Abhishek Sharma, who made a fantastic innings of 68 off 37 balls at a strike rate of 183.78, to shine for the team. However, Tilak's Varma long off catch gave everyone immediate deja vu of T20 World Cup final.
Varun strikes, Tilak Varma stuns with a brilliant boundary catch
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While chasing 126, Australian openers Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head spectacularly started their innings, going 51 runs in only 28 balls. Their aggressive strokeplay was enough to finish the match very quickly before India eventually got a breakthrough in the fifth over. Spinner Varun Chakaravarthy, who was given the ball, got Head out on his second delivery only, due to an extraordinary piece of fielding by Tilak Varma near the long-off boundary.
Varun Chakaravarthy bowled a good-length ball to the stumps, and Head tried to loft it straight down the ground. The ball looked to be going for a six, but Tilak decided otherwise. He running to his left, kept his eyes on the ball, caught it cleanly near the boundary, and — with great awareness — threw it up in the air before his momentum took him over the rope. He then moved back inside to complete one of the catches of the series.
Tilak's incredible play very quickly brought to mind for the crowd the legendary catch made by Suryakumar Yadav in the T20 World Cup Final 2024 against South Africa. In that instance, SKY made an almost exact catch to get David Miller out - the very moment that won India the world title. With the same combination of accuracy, quick thinking, and physical ability, Tilak's grab was able to give India a very brief moment of shine amidst a rough night in Melbourne.
