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Mumbai Indians (MI) batter Tilak Varma, who was named Player of the Match for his maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) century against Gujarat Titans (GT), said the milestone will always remain special and credited his partnership with Naman Dhir for helping him stabilise the innings under pressure.
Varma smashed the joint-fastest century for the Mumbai-based franchise on Monday. He equalled Sri Lankan legend Sanath Jayasuriya for the record. Tilak also became the youngest centurion for the Mumbai Indians at 23 years and 163 days. After Tilak and Jayasuriya, the list of fastest IPL centuries for MI includes Cameron Green, who reached his century in 47 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Wankhede in 2023, and Suryakumar Yadav, who scored a 49-ball hundred against GT at the same venue in 2023. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Tilak reflected on his approach during the innings and the importance of adapting to match situations, especially after limited time at the crease in recent games. "Of course, the first 100 will always be special. It was very important for us. We don't have much time from here. Every game is important for us," Tilak said. The MI batter revealed that he focused on spending time in the middle and initially played cautiously before shifting gears as the innings progressed. "Last five games, I haven't had much time in the middle. So, in this game, I wanted to spend time in the middle. So you saw the first 20 balls, I was just batting ball by ball. And then later on, I knew the ability I have. I was just seeing the situation and what the team needs, and I was just stable and keeping my head still and following my basics," he added. Tilak further explained that while he possesses a wide range of attacking shots, he prioritised stability and discipline under pressure. "I have all the fancy shots. But when the team is under pressure, it's just about backing your skills, and today it's given me good results," he said. The MI batter also highlighted the importance of his partnership with Naman Dhir, crediting the youngster's positive intent for helping build momentum during the innings. "[Partnership with Dhir] It was very important. The way Naman played with positive intent, credit goes to him," Tilak added. MI delivered a dominant all-round performance to defeat Gujarat by 99 runs in IPL 2026. Batting first, MI posted 199/5, powered by a brilliant maiden IPL century from Varma, who scored an unbeaten 101 off 45 balls. Despite early wickets, MI recovered strongly in the death overs. In reply, Gujarat never got going as they suffered a dramatic top-order collapse, losing Sai Sudharsan for a golden duck and slipping to 45/3 inside six overs. The innings further crumbled as Ashwani Kumar (4/24), Mitchell Santner (2/16), and AM Ghazanfar (2/17) ran through the batting lineup, bundling Gujarat out for 100. With this win, Mumbai moved up to seventh place on the IPL 2026 points table, having secured two wins against four defeats from six matches. The five-time champions now have four points, with a Net Run Rate of +0.067. On the other hand, Gujarat slipped to sixth position with three wins and three losses from six games. They remain on six points, but their net run rate stands at -0.821. (ANI)
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