Tilak Varma’s maiden IPL century not only snapped the Mumbai Indians’ run of defeats, it also sparked a memorable reaction from former India spinner R Ashwin. After Mumbai’s victory over the Gujarat Titans, Ashwin highlighted how a spirited moment involving Hardik Pandya during the innings seemed to lift the atmosphere, and he went on to describe Tilak’s hundred as one of the finest he has seen in the league.
Speaking on his YouTube channel following the win in Ahmedabad, Ashwin said the tone of the chase-and-respond narrative shifted when Hardik spoke to Tilak while the pair were batting together. With Mumbai looking for a real statement after a difficult spell, Tilak delivered exactly that—remaining unbeaten on 101 off 45 balls—turning what could have been a competitive outing into a dominant one.
Ashwin framed the exchange in theatrical terms, drawing a comparison between Hardik’s mid-innings pep talk and a WWE spectacle. “Hardik Pandya was talking to him (Tilak Varma) while batting, he motivated him, he did it like how we see in WWF (WWE). Just like Triple H used to do with water. So whatever Hardik Pandya said and did worked for Tilak Varma,” Ashwin said on his channel.
The impact of that partnership, Ashwin felt, was felt more through intensity than through raw numbers. Hardik was not the primary run-getter in that crucial stand, but his ability to keep Tilak focused and moving with purpose appeared to matter. From there, Tilak took control, striking through Gujarat’s bowling attack and pushing the game firmly into Mumbai’s favour.
Even more striking, though, was Ashwin’s assessment of the quality of the century itself. He didn’t treat it as routine batting on a friendly surface; instead, he underlined the caliber of opponents Tilak had to overcome and the conditions under which the runs were made. “This is easily one of the best IPL hundreds that I have seen. To take down Ashok Sharma, Prasidh Krishna, Rashid Khan, and Mohammed Siraj on this pitch, it was probably one of the best IPL hundreds that I have ever seen,” Ashwin said.
That context is what made the innings stand out. Tilak’s hundred was not built through slow accumulation aided by an easy spell or a stretch of loose bowling. He reached the milestone against a unit known for taking wickets, and he did it while altering the match direction decisively. His acceleration late in the chase—or rather, late in Mumbai’s innings—helped set a total that Gujarat could not realistically chase down.
Ashwin also pointed to timing, identifying the last portion of the game as the turning point. “The momentum that MI got in the last three overs, the game was over for GT. The moment MI crossed 175 on this pitch, the game was done,” he said on his YouTube channel.
That description matches how the contest unfolded. Tilak’s late assault stretched Mumbai well beyond a defendable-but-not-dominant total and completely redrew the pressure on Gujarat. What looked like a solid score at first gradually transformed into a match-winning platform, and Gujarat never truly managed to regain control once the momentum swung.
For Mumbai, the win mattered as much for its emotional reset as it did for the two points. After a challenging run, they needed one innings that restored belief, and Tilak provided it in emphatic fashion. Hardik’s on-field encouragement became a second storyline—one that, while delivered with a bit of theatrical flair in Ashwin’s commentary, carried a serious message underneath. The captain found the right moment, the batter responded, and Mumbai walked away with a victory capable of changing the feel of an entire season.
