Tilak Varma pulled off a sensational catch near the boundary rope during the second T20I against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday, rekindling memories of Suryakumar Yadav’s game-changing effort in the 2024 T20 World Cup final. The moment came in the fifth over of Australia’s chase when Varun Chakaravarthy dismissed Travis Head for 28.Head attempted to loft the length delivery over long-off, but Tilak judged it perfectly, moving to his left and taking the catch extremely close to the boundary. Showing great composure, he lobbed the ball in the air before stepping out and returning to complete the dismissal.Watch Tilak Varma’s incredible effort here The effort instantly drew comparisons to Suryakumar Yadav’s memorable catch of David Miller during the World Cup final last year, which came at a crucial moment as India defended 176. In that match, Suryakumar’s effort to remove Miller turned the tide and sealed India’s win over South Africa. Earlier in the day, India endured a tough outing with the bat after losing the toss and being asked to bat first. The visitors managed just 125 in 18.4 overs, with Abhishek Sharma’s 68 off 37 balls being the standout performance. Harshit Rana added 35 as the pair rescued India from a top-order collapse triggered by Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Ellis.
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Australia, in reply, made a strong start, keeping the chase under control despite losing four wickets within the first 12 overs. All four dismissals – Mitchell Marsh, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, and Tim David – came off India’s spinners, who briefly gave the visitors hope before Australia regained control. Tilak’s athletic effort, however, stood out as the highlight of the evening, before Australia went on to secure a comfortable four-wicket win and 6.4 overs to spare to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
