Tilak Varma had already played one captain’s innings in the first innings of the Duleep Trophy semifinal against North Zone. On Wednesday, he played another, very different one.

After his unbeaten 116 had rescued South Zone in the first innings, Tilak made 51 not out from 79 balls in the second innings to guide his side through a chase of 181 and into the final at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground 2 in Bengaluru. South reached 182/3, winning by seven wickets, with R Smaran unbeaten on 32.

For Tilak, the two performances made a strong red-ball statement. He has established himself in India’s T20 setup, but his two knocks in Bengaluru showed another side to his batting. The first required him to rebuild after South had been reduced to 80/5. In the second, he had to play the anchor and ensure the chase did not become difficult.

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It was a reminder of where Tilak stood as a red-ball batsman. His white-ball progress has come quicker, but this was a chance to show that he had another gear in his batting. Across two different innings, he adapted to the situation without moving away from his strengths. For a player hoping to push his case for higher red-ball honours, that was as important as the runs.

There were moments, however, when the chase could have become tricky.

Ricky Bhui and N Jagadeesan had given South a solid start, putting on 64 for the first wicket. Bhui was the more aggressive of the two, particularly against left-arm spinner Abid Mushtaq, and made 42 from 53 balls before North’s short-ball plan worked.

Gurnoor Brar, bowling from around the wicket, kept digging the ball in. Bhui eventually fell to the ploy and gave himself room to cut another short delivery but found Anshul Kamboj at deep third man.

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An over later, Mushtaq beat Shaik Rasheed’s forward defence and bowled him for one. From 64/0, South were 65/2, and Tilak walked in with his side needing some stability.

He began with an on-drive for four off Mushtaq, but did not try to force the pace after that. Brar continued testing him with the short ball, while Mushtaq remained North’s biggest threat. Tilak took 28 balls to reach double figures. North needed wickets to stay in the game; Tilak ensured he held his end firmly.

With Jagadeesan, he took South past 100 before Mushtaq provided another opening. He drew the right-hander forward, got the ball to turn past him, and wicketkeeper Kanhaiya Wadhawan completed the stumping. South were 102/3, still 79 runs away.

Again, Tilak did not panic.

On-drive feasts

The on-drive was his most productive shot, bringing him 15 runs, including three boundaries. One of his best came when Anshul Kamboj returned to the attack, and Tilak drove him beautifully for four. Early on, there was little need to take risks. He was happy to wait for the bowlers to bowl to his strengths. Once settled, though, he began showing more of his range.

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In the 35th over, Tilak went after Mushtaq. He first reverse-swept him past short third man for four and then played a paddle sweep for another boundary. Mushtaq had taken two wickets and remained North’s best hope of staying in the game. Tilak was now starting to take control.

Smaran, meanwhile, made sure the burden did not remain entirely on his captain.

The highest run-scorer of the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season began carefully before growing in confidence. He drove well through the covers, attacked Nishant Sindhu down the ground and later struck Mushtaq for six over mid-wicket.

The pair complemented each other well. Tilak stayed in control while Smaran gradually increased the tempo. North’s fielding also became sloppy as the target came closer, with one Smaran drive going through the cover fielder’s legs.

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Mushtaq continued to find some turn, but the pitch did not offer the kind of help Harsh Dubey had enjoyed on Ground 1 during East Zone’s chase against Central Zone a day earlier. By the time Sindhu began getting more turn late in the chase, South were already close to victory.

Tilak finished the match himself, punching Qamran Iqbal for four. His unbeaten 51 contained eight boundaries, while Smaran finished unbeaten on 32 from 42 balls. Their unbroken 80-run fourth-wicket stand took South home.

For Tilak, it capped a fine semifinal. His unbeaten 116 had helped South recover and take a first-innings lead. His second innings was less dramatic, but just as important.

India already know what Tilak can offer in T20 cricket. Over four days in Bengaluru, he showed that his game can stretch well beyond it.

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Brief Scores: North Zone 195 and 297 all out in 72.4 overs (Sanat Sangwan 76, Anshul Kamboj 36; MD Nidheesh 5/56) lost to South Zone 312 and 182/3 in 43.1 overs (Tilak Varma 51 not out, N Jagadeesan 43, Ricky Bhui 42, R Smaran 32 not out; Abid Mushtaq 2/55) by seven wickets.