‘Whole India Believes in You’: Tilak Varma Reveals Gambhir, Kotak’s Message After Match-Winning Knock

October 24, 2026

Christchurch: India batter Tilak Varma revealed that head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had backed him to finish the game before his unbeaten half-century helped India beat New Zealand in the second T20I in Christchurch on Saturday.

Tilak remained unbeaten on 51 off 26 balls as India chased down New Zealand’s target of 181 with four wickets in hand and one ball to spare at Hagley Oval. Nitish Kumar Reddy also played a crucial role, scoring an unbeaten 26 off 13 deliveries as the pair pulled off a thrilling last-over victory.

Speaking after being named Player of the Match, Tilak said the coaches had given him a clear message before the game: they believed he could guide India to victory if he stayed at the crease until the end.

“Just before today’s game, I was talking with coach Gautam sir and Sitanshu Kotak sir. I was talking with both of them, and they said one thing: ‘We all believe, and the whole of India believes in you. If you stay till the end, then you will win the game for us’,” Tilak said.

He added that the advice stayed with him when India were losing wickets and struggling to keep the chase on track.

“I was just thinking about playing till the end. So that’s what was going through my mind. I wanted to take the game as deep as possible,” he said.

India Recover After Losing Five Wickets

India were in serious trouble at 70/5 after 10.5 overs while chasing 181. Tilak then joined Naman Dhir, who scored 31 off 17 balls, and the two added 42 runs for the sixth wicket to revive the chase.

Tilak said he had asked Naman to stay at the crease with him and keep the scoreboard moving, particularly because the surface was slower than in the previous match.

“I was telling Naman that we’ll stay till the end, and especially the wicket was slightly slower today, compared to the last game,” he said.

The pair focused on running hard between the wickets against the spinners and taking risks when the ball came into their hitting range.

Naman was eventually dismissed by New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner in his final over. Santner finished with four wickets, but his breakthrough brought Nitish Kumar Reddy to the crease, setting up a decisive partnership with Tilak.

Tilak-Nitish Partnership Seals Thrilling Win

Tilak and Nitish put together an unbeaten 69-run partnership to take India over the line. Their effort helped the visitors secure a four-wicket win and take a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20I series.

Tilak was delighted to finish the game alongside fellow Hyderabad batter Nitish.

“After that, you know, the Hyderabadi boys are in play today, Nitish Reddy and myself, and we are really happy that we finished the game,” he said.

Explaining how they managed the chase on a surface offering assistance to the spinners, Tilak said the plan was to find gaps and run hard rather than attempt big shots against every delivery.

He said the extra runs from running between the wickets proved important, while the batters waited for opportunities to attack the faster bowlers.

“We played smartly there, and later on we knew that we could hit sixes against the fast bowlers. We needed that pace in this huge ground. So we were waiting for that, and we finished off in style,” Tilak said.

The victory gave India another win in the series and underlined the value of Tilak and Nitish’s calm partnership after the chase appeared to be slipping away.