Tilak Varma’s finishing touch: Hyderabadi dum biryani cooked to perfection
The debate over which biryani is the best will probably never have a definitive winner in India. Every region has its claim to fame and Hyderabad is no exception. Visit the city and a plate of Hyderabadi biryani is practically a must. The recipe itself is not too complicated and you can even make it at home. But there’s one ingredient you simply can’t do without: patience.
The preparation itself will test your limits. The meat needs to be marinated, the rice needs to be soaked and the initial preparation takes time. Then comes the most important stage: placing the biryani on the dum. For another 20 minutes, the pot must sit on a low flame. You’ll overheat and stare at burnt rice and meat.
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The pressure must remain constant and not even a streak of steam can escape. There is no shortcut, no rushing the process. The timing is right and the reward is worth every minute of waiting. The flavors will come together and your taste buds will be delighted.
On Saturday, October 24, Indian cricket fans had another reason to enjoy the Hyderabad connection. Tilak Varma produced a stunning late attack in Christchurchhelped India pull off a four-wicket win over New Zealand to take a 2–0 lead in the series.
His unbeaten 51 off 26 balls, built on a key partnership with fellow Hyderabadi Nitish Kumar Reddy, helped India pull off the chase. The numbers suggest a destructive knock, but the story behind them was one of patience, faith and perfect timing.
At one stage Tilak was struggling on 10 balls off nine. As the pressure mounted and the required lanes continued to rise, he refused to panic. Instead, he trusted his ability to make up for a slow start when it mattered most. And when that moment arrived, he exploded into life.
“I wanted to take the game as deep as I could and at the end of the day I did it again, what everyone believed in. So I’m really proud of myself,” Tilak said.
It was a familiar scenario from a batsman who has repeatedly shown that the longer a game goes on, the more dangerous it can become.
THRIVES UNDER PRESSURE
Watching Tilak bat can sometimes test a fan’s patience. There are times when you find yourself rooting for him to step up, especially in an era where record chases have become routine and batters seem to knock down boundaries at will.
But Tilak doesn’t always play by the rules of the modern game. He is willing to take his time, assess the situation and trust that the opportunity to accelerate will come. And Christchurch was far from the first time this approach worked.
On 25 January 2025, Tilak performed the famous rescue act at Chepauk, a place synonymous with MS Dhoni’s finishing touches. Chasing 166 against England, India were reduced to 78 for five in the 10th over. With the top order back in the pavilion and the chase threatening to unravel, Tilak surged to 72 off 55 balls to guide India home.
The scenario was strikingly similar in the 2025 Asia Cup final against Pakistan. India’s top order faltered again, leaving the team at 20 for three after four overs as they chased 147. Tilak responded with an unbeaten 69 off 53 balls, holding the innings together and guiding India through a thrilling final.
At the 2026 Asian Games, he again played when it mattered, smashing 51 off 22 balls in the final to help India to a commanding total.
Different matches, different conditions, but a recurring theme: when India’s backs are against the wall, Tilak has a knack for finding a way out.
His starts may not always be explosive, but his ability to finish plays has become one of his biggest strengths. It’s a trait his teammates and perhaps some of his impatient fans need to understand.
Former India wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik explained why Tilak’s approach works and why the batsmen around him need to trust the process.
“Firstly, it’s important that the other batsmen batting around him realize that he’s someone who takes the first few balls, assesses. He’s not going to take too many risks unless it’s the last 2 or 3 overs of the match. He’s not going to take a lot of risk because he’s backing himself to get back-to-backs, so it’s very easy to set up boundaries at the back end of the game, which is a very tough game. batters, you’ve got to be ready to take a risk if he is at the start because one thing Tilak Verma has shown time and time again.”
“He knows how to thrive under pressure. It’s a very important basic skill of a finisher and why he’s been so successful in this period, batting 5 and 6, is because he’s able to have courage. In the first few balls to believe that when he’s there at the end I’m going to score. You see his talks as well,” he said. This is what Karth Dinesh says. I know at the end.
For Karthik, Tilak’s value goes beyond the number of runs he has scored. His ability to recover from a slow start and still complete the finish is a skill that a scorecard alone cannot capture.
“He didn’t get to the flyer to begin with. He did the job despite that. That’s a very special skill for me and he didn’t do it now. Asia Cup final against Pakistan in a tough game. He pulled it off for us. Asian Games on a bad pitch. He did the job and did it again and again.”
“That’s an attribute you don’t see on the scorecard. You have to be part of the team or watch it closely to realize the value it brings,” Karthik said.
LET TILAK STAY AT NO.5
If Tilak has found a formula that works, India’s next challenge is to resist the temptation to tinker with it. He excelled at No.3, but his recent performances suggest that the middle order, particularly the No.5 and No.6 positions, is where he can make the most impact as a finisher.
India have options in Axar Patel and Naman Dhir who can be deployed as floaters. Tilak, meanwhile, seems to have found his sweet spot in the lower middle order, where he can assess the situation before unleashing the full range of strokes.
The numbers support this argument. In the 16th to 20th overs of T20 cricket in 2026, Tilak scored 470 runs off 203 balls at a strike rate of 231.52. He hit 32 fours and 37 sixes with a boundary percentage of 33.99.
These numbers highlight how devastating he can be once he gets going. The challenge for India is to give him the time and role he needs to reach this stage.
Ajay Jadeja also highlighted the faith that enables Tilak to turn around seemingly difficult chases.
“If you split his innings into two halves, he scored 51 runs off 26 balls but he was on 10 runs off nine balls. Naman Dhir was batting at that stage and he (Tilak) believed that total would also be chased if he stayed till the end. He turned the game around in the next 15-16 balls. Jaa Aja happens when you have it.
“Whatever I’ve seen of him, when the opposition stops bowling and gets defensive, his game is that he picks the yorkers very well against which the whole world is stuck. He’s hit excellent shots. It’s not the first time he’s done that.”
Tilak’s record across batting positions offers further food for thought. While he has two hundreds at No.3, his returns at No.5 and No.6 suggest that India may have found an ideal role for his finishing ability.
In 19 matches at No.5, he scored 451 runs at an average of 37.58. At No.6, his average climbs to 82.66 while his strike rate rises to 195.27.
India don’t necessarily need Tilak to start every innings with lightning pace. They need him to read the game, absorb pressure and deliver when the opposition believe they have the upper hand. That’s exactly what he did time and time again.
The temptation in modern T20 cricket is to judge each batsman by how quickly he gets off the mark. Tilak is a reminder that a slow start doesn’t have to mean a slow finish. Sometimes the smartest move is to wait for the right moment before turning the game on its head.
Much like the Hyderabadi dum biryani, his best work cannot be rushed. The preparation takes time, the pressure builds and the real magic happens towards the end. Give Tilak the right role, trust his instincts and let him finish the job. Because when a dum is done right, the wait is always worth it.
– The end