Tilak Varma's '45' Gesture For Rohit Sharma After Match-Winning 75 Breaks the Internet
The gesture highlighted the camaraderie between Tilak Varma and Rohit Sharma, who was the captain when the former made his debut for MI in the IPL.
Young batter Tilak Varma salvaged some pride for Mumbai Indians, top-scoring during their six-wicket win over Punjab Kings in Dharamsala in IPL 2026 on Thursday. Despite his side no longer in playoff contention, Tilak played a match-winning unbeaten 75 runs (33 balls), helping MI chase down 201 with a ball to spare. After his crucial, Tilak also won hearts for his incredible gesture towards former MI captain Rohit Sharma. Moments after sealing MI's win with a six, Tilak was seen signalling '45' with his fingers towards the dugout, the number associated with Rohit's jersey number.
The gesture highlighted the camaraderie between Tilak and Rohit, who was the captain when the former made his debut for MI in the IPL.
Tilak showing “45” and saying “Rohit bhai, Rohit bhai” after finishing the match pic.twitter.com/FGs6DMhHLF
— (@Arrestpandya) May 14, 2026
MI were 149-4 in the 17th over when Sherfane Rutherford (20) holed out in the deep, but then Marco Jansen conceded 22 in the 18th over against Varma and Jacks to help Mumbai stage a stunning comeback.
"We were pretty clear in what we wanted to do (at the toss)," Bumrah said. "Credit to the bowlers, they executed and held their nerve as well."
Ryan Rickelton (48) gave Mumbai a solid start of 59-0 in the power play as Rohit Sharma (25) struggled to score freely from the other end before the former Mumbai captain got clean bowled by Chahal off a perfect leg-break in the 10th over.
But Varma put the chase back on track with a 61-run partnership with Rutherford. And Chahal, who conceded only 12 off his first three overs, ended up giving away 20 runs in the 16th over which reduced the target to 52.
"One from one, good game of cricket," said stand-in captain Bumrah. "I have captained a test match, a T20I and now only thing left is an ODI. But jokes apart, really enjoyed my time."
(With AP Inputs)
Mumbai Indians
Punjab Kings
Rohit Sharma