New Delhi: India opened their 2025 Asia Cup campaign with a dominant nine-wicket win against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday, September 10. Captain Suryakumar Yadav ended India’s 15-match toss-losing streak and opted to bowl first. The bowlers delivered a stunning performance, bowling out the opposition for just 57 runs.
Alishan Sharafu attacked the Indian bowlers in the early overs and gave UAE a decent start, but Bumrah removed him for 22 runs with an off-stump toe-crusher. UAE ended the powerplay with 41 runs on the board, but the moment Kuldeep Yadav came in, they lost their way as he picked up three wickets in an over.
Shivam Dube also took three wickets in just 10 balls to derail the innings, as the Men in Blue needed only 58 runs to win the game. India used six bowlers, and five of them ended up taking wickets, including Bumrah, who bowled three overs in the powerplay—a rarity for him.
Abhishek Sharma started the run-chase in his trademark style, smashing a maximum over wide long-off. He forged a 48-run opening partnership with Shubman Gill before losing his wicket to Junaid Siddique. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav then walked out to bat and completed the chase by hitting a boundary through mid-on.
Key takeaways from India’s victory
Kuldeep Yadav’s remarkable comeback: The wrist-spinner played his first T20I match since the 2024 T20 World Cup final and made a stunning return by taking four wickets in India’s Asia Cup opener. He changed the complexion of the match by picking up three wickets in his second over. Kuldeep removed Muhammad Waseem (19), Rahul Chopra (3), and Harshit Kaushik (2) in the same over.
Shivam Dube stands tall: All-rounder Shivam Dube justified his selection, rewarding his captain’s trust with a three-wicket haul. Jasprit Bumrah was the lone fast bowler in the Indian playing XI, and Hardik Pandya and Dube were expected to share the pace-bowling duties. Dube came on to bowl in the 11th over and picked up his first wicket on the third ball, removing Asif Khan. He took two more wickets in the 13th over to put UAE under further pressure.
Abhishek Sharma’s fiery knock: The No. 1 T20I batter, Abhishek Sharma, began the run chase by hitting a maximum over wide long-off. During his 30-run innings, the opening batter smashed three sixes and two boundaries at a strike rate of 187.50 before losing his wicket to Siddique. Thanks to his sensational knock, India recorded their fastest-ever chase in T20Is.