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When Tilak Varma reached his fifty to put India on the cusp of the Asian Games 2023 gold medal match in the men’s cricket competition, he lifted his jersey to showcase the tattoos on his body in a heartwarming celebration on October 6, Friday. At the Zhejiang University of Technology Cricket Field in Hangzhou, the 20-year-old later revealed that the milestone moment was a tribute to his mother after he stayed unbeaten to take India through to a nine-wicket win against Bangladesh.
For the unversed, the semi-final of the Asian Games 2023 was a one-sided encounter in which the Indian cricket team dominated from start to finish. After the captain of Team India, Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and decided to field first, the bowlers were right on the mark with their plans and execution.
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Bangladesh batters couldn’t cope with the consistent diet of spin from the Indians, losing wickets at regular intervals. R Sai Kishore and Washington Sundar shared five scalps among themselves to restrict the opposition to 96/9 in their allotted 20 overs.
The run chase for India didn’t start well after Yashasvi Jaiswal, the star of the quarter-final against Nepal, was dismissed without troubling the scorers. But then, Tilak Varma joined the captain Ruturaj Gaikwad in the middle to stitch together a match-winning partnership of 97 runs unbeaten for the second wicket.
Watch Tilak Varma's tribute celebration for his mother here:
Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 40 off 26 with four fours and three sixes, while Tilak Varma got 55 off 26 with two fours and six sixes to take their team over the finishing line. India will play the winner of the Afghanistan versus Pakistan semi-final in the gold medal match in the men’s cricket competition at the Asian Games 2023, on October 7, Saturday in Hangzhou.
