How coach Gambhir's inspiring message powered Tilak Varma's Christchurch heroics

India vice-captain Tilak Varma was proud of his match-winning effort against New Zealand, revealing that head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had backed him to take India home, telling him that the whole country believed in him.Tilak Varma proud of himself after heroic finish vs New Zealand in Christchurch T20I (AP Photo)New Delhi,Oct 24, 2026 16:55 ISTIndia vice-captain Tilak Varma said he was proud of himself after his unbeaten 51 off 26 balls guided India to a thrilling four-wicket win over New Zealand in the second T20I on Saturday. Tilak revealed that head coach Gautam Gambhir and batting coach Sitanshu Kotak had backed him before the match, telling him that the country believed in him and that he could take India home if he batted until the end.IND vs NZ 2nd T20I: HIGHLIGHTS | SCORECARDTilak's knock helped India chase down a target of 181 with one ball to spare after the visitors had slumped to 70 for five. He found an able ally in Nitish Kumar Reddy, whose unbeaten 26 off 13 balls helped turn the contest around with a blistering counterattack. Speaking after being named Player of the Match, Tilak recalled the message from the Indian coaching staff and said their faith in him remained at the forefront of his mind during the chase."I was just thinking about batting till the end. Before today's game, I spoke to Gautam sir and Sitanshu Kotak sir. They told me that the whole of India believes in me and that if I batted till the end, I could win the game for the team. "That was what was on my mind. I wanted to take the game as deep as possible and finish it. I'm really proud of myself for doing what they believed I could do," Tilak told Sony Sports. TILAK, REDDY SCRIPT HEROIC COMEBACKIndia's chase was in trouble after New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner ripped through the middle order, taking four wickets for 21 runs. Tilak, however, kept his composure and found an able partner in Nitish Kumar Reddy, who chipped in with an unbeaten 26 off 13 balls.The two added an unbroken 69 off just 30 balls to bring India back into the contest and seal a memorable win. Tilak struck six fours and a six on his way to a 25-ball half-century, while Reddy's attacking knock kept the pressure on New Zealand in the closing overs. Tilak said he had urged Naman Dhir to stay at the crease with him and stressed the importance of running hard against New Zealand's spinners on a slow surface. "I was telling Naman that we could stay till the end. The wicket was slower compared to the last game, so I told him we would have to push hard with our running between the wickets, especially when the spinners were bowling. That was our plan, and we did that well," he said.Dhir made 31 off 17 balls before falling to Santner in the 15th over. Tilak believed India could have completed the chase sooner had the partnership continued."Unfortunately, Naman got out in Mitchell Santner's last over. Otherwise, I think we could have finished the game in the 18th over. Credit goes to Naman as well for the way he batted. After that, the Hyderabadi boys, Nitish Reddy and I, were at the crease, and I'm really happy that we could finish the game," he added.INDIA'S PLAN AGAINST SPINNERSNew Zealand's spinners had made life difficult for India's batters, with Santner's decisive spell leaving the visitors needing a late surge. Tilak said the plan was to avoid taking unnecessary risks against the slower bowlers, rotate the strike and wait for opportunities to attack the pacers."There was a plan like that. We wanted to show intent when the fast bowlers came on, but against the spinners, we focused on finding the gaps and running hard. We got four or five sets of two runs against the spinners, and those were really crucial. We played smartly during that phase," he said."Later, we knew we could take on the fast bowlers. We needed that pace on such a big ground, so we waited for the opportunity and finished the game in style."Earlier, Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs had rescued New Zealand after India's bowlers made early inroads. Phillips struck 70 off 43 balls, while Jacobs scored 58 off 46 as the pair added 116 runs for the fourth wicket to help the hosts post 180 for five.Arshdeep Singh led India's bowling effort with two wickets for 33 runs, while Prince Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar also struck early to leave New Zealand at 41 for three.Tilak and Reddy's late assault ensured India completed a remarkable comeback after being pushed to the brink, giving the visitors a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20I series.- Ends