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On a day East Zone took a massive 372-run lead, putting almost both hands on their first Duleep Trophy title since 2012 with only formalities left going into the fifth and final day on Thursday, Tilak's 99 off 211 balls showed why, among the next generation of batsmen, he stands a genuine chance of becoming an all-format player.

From the moment East Zone reached 708, South Zone's chances of winning were effectively gone. The only realistic hope was stretching the match, keeping the first innings incomplete. Even that looked thin by the end of Day 3, South at 242 for 6, Tilak waging what already felt like a lost cause alone. Yet when he walked out to resume on Wednesday, the South Zone captain made clear he was prepared to grind it down, and did, falling last, one short of a century he thoroughly deserved.

Being on the road with India's white-ball set-up leaves him little room for multi-day cricket. But when the chance comes, Tilak has shown real appetite for the format. More than the runs themselves, it's how he goes about scoring them that should encourage the national selectors, at a time when India's newer batsmen tend to run short on patience and batting time. Against North Zone in the quarter-final in Bengaluru last week, he made 116 and 51, both unbeaten. Here, he again looked close to immovable.

South Zone's Tilak Varma on day 4 of the Duleep Trophy 2026-27 final cricket match between South Zone and East Zone, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026. (PTI Photo)

Having played plenty of white-ball cricket, T20s especially, in the run-up to the Duleep Trophy, Tilak adapted to red-ball demands quickly. With time at the crease the priority, he avoided expansive shots that invited risk, often not even completing his strokes, holding back his hands rather than extending fully into them. He may still be some way from genuine Test selection, but these are exactly the kind of innings that could move him up the queue.

"Honestly, it's an important knock, but at the same point I was only focused on what the team needed," Tilak said, on what the innings means for his Test ambitions. "I could have taken more chances before itself, but the plan was simply to take it session by session. Cricket is a funny game, if you can bat out a session and if some other batsman stays with me, I was confident that if we batted through to the end of the day, we could take it session by session again tomorrow and push for a draw. Unfortunately, we lost wickets, and the result went in their favour," he added.

Last year, during the Duleep Trophy, Tilak made a frank admission to BCCI.tv: red-ball cricket feels like home to him, and unlike some of his peers, he doesn't need to make drastic adjustments for it. In both matches he's played in this year's Duleep Trophy, he's shown a game built for Test cricket. For his 99, he faced 211 balls, at a strike rate of 46.91, exactly what the situation demanded. It isn't a one-off. Playing county cricket for Hampshire last year, he faced 256 deliveries for 112. His unbeaten 116 last week took 250 balls. A century against Essex took 241. There's also 111 not out off 193, and 121 off 183, both from different positions in the order, No. 3 to No. 6. It's evidence of a batsman who bats time, which is exactly what makes him worth investing in for Test cricket.

"I wouldn't necessarily say it comes naturally. But I began my professional journey in red-ball cricket and played it for many years with the red ball. Over the past few seasons, I've played white-ball cricket a lot, but red-ball remains my favourite format, it's my A game. But in the last five, six years I've been really good with the white ball," he said.

Why India hasn't considered Tilak an option while the Test side goes through its own transition remains an open question. At the level he's played, he's shown a strong back-foot game against pace, and against spin, a willingness to work the ball square with cuts and sweeps as part of his regular game. He's under no illusions about what he wants. And crucially, when East's pacers had their tails up, he showed the maturity to see the phase out safely rather than take the game on, a trait rare among India's white-ball-raised batsmen.

"I always say to everyone that I want to play red-ball cricket for India. That's my biggest goal because I really love playing red-ball cricket. I thought as a kid I'll be playing Test cricket first and after that only white-ball cricket. I'm really keen to play red-ball cricket and let's see how it goes," he added.

After Tilak fell, East, despite the huge lead, chose not to enforce the follow-on, ending Day 4 on 212 for 5, Ishan Kishan top-scoring with 80.

Brief scores: East Zone 708 & 212 for 5 (Ishan Kishan 80, Shikhar Mohan 52) lead South Zone 336 (Tilak Varma 99, Chama Milind 43; Mukesh Kumar 3/62) by 584 runs.