Tilak Varma triggers meme fest with Asia Cup heroics: ‘Pehle sindoor lagaya, ab tilak’

Tilak Varma’s composure under pressure powered India to a thrilling victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup final on Sunday.

Published on: Sep 29, 2025, 09:29:34 IST

By Sanya Jain

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Tilak Varma’s composure under pressure powered India to a thrilling victory over arch-rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup final on Sunday. The 22-year-old finished unbeaten on 69 off 53 balls, including a crucial six off Haris Rauf in the 20th over.

Dubai, Sep 29 (ANI): India's Tilak Varma celebrates after winning Asia Cup 2025 final match against Pakistan, at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on Sunday. (ANI Photo) (Surjeet Yadav)

Varma, alongside Shivam Dube, played a pivotal role in turning the game in India’s favour. The pair put on 60 runs from just 40 balls, snatching victory from Pakistan’s grasp. For his match-winning innings, Varma was named ‘Player of the Match’.

Fans across the cricketing world agreed that the accolade was well deserved. Social media exploded with memes and posts hailing Tilak Varma as the hero of the Asia Cup final.

Take a look at the best Tilak Varma posts:

Before the conclusion of the final, some Indian fans had labelled Varma as the last hope for the team. He certainly lived up to their expectations.

“Varma means heat in Icelandic and he certainly brought it today,” posted Iceland Cricket

One ecstatic fan, interviewed by ANI, referred to Operation Sindoor and said: “Pehle humne Sindoor lagaya tha aur ab Tilak lagaya hai.”

The BCCI has declared that the Asia Cup-winning Indian cricket team and its support staff will be presented a prize money of ₹21 crore for its unbeaten run in the just-concluded tournament.

The Board made the announcement after the team defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by five wickets in the final of the tournament in Dubai on Sunday.

"It was (an) extraordinary victory and therefore as a part of celebrations, BCCI has announced a cash award of ₹21 crore in favour of the players and the support staff who are part of the Indian team in the Asia Cup," BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told PTI.

However, the body did not give details of the exact break-up of the fund.

(With inputs from agencies)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sanya Jain
Sanya Jain is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Digital. She has nearly a decade of experience in covering offbeat stories that speak to the everyday experience - from viral videos to human interest copies that spark conversation. Her interests stretch across business, pop culture, social media trends, entertainment and global affairs. Before joining Hindustan Times, Sanya spent two years with Moneycontrol and five years with NDTV. She holds an undergraduate degree in English literature from St Stephen’s College, Delhi, and a master’s in journalism from the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai. Sanya has a sharp eye for spotting emerging trends and looking for newsworthy angles to elevate viral posts into meaningful narratives. She was the first one, for example, to cover Narayana Murthy’s remark on 70-hour work weeks that sparked a national conversation. She is equally at ease writing about business leaders as about the common man, about issues of national importance and memes that amuse social media. Sanya enjoys speaking with content creators, newsmakers and entrepreneurs to transform everyday moments into engaging, slice-of-life stories that resonate with readers. When she is not working, Sanya can be found curled up with a good book. Born and raised in Lucknow, she has spent the last several years in Delhi. She is deeply interested in animal welfare and now spends a lot of her time running after her destructive orange cat.Read More

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