Kuldeep Yadav’s impressive 4/7 spell decimated UAE’s batting lineup in India’s Asia Cup opener. His performance, which included three wickets in a single over, led India to a resounding 9-wicket victory.
Team India spinner Kuldeep Yadav was quite impressive with his performance in the Men in Blue’s opening match of their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against the hosts, the United Arab Emirates, at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday, September 10.
Opting to bowl first by skipper Suryakumar Yadav, Indian bowlers dismantled the hosts’ batting line-up as they were bundled out for a mere 57 in 13.1 overs. The UAE registered their lowest-ever T20I total and the second-lowest in Asia Cup T20 history, with Hong Kong holding the unwanted record of 38 all-out against Pakistan in 2022.
Suryakumar Yadav’s decision to bowl first did not backfire as the Indian bowling attack, led by Kuldeep Yadav, tore through the UAE batting order, ensuring a commanding start to their Asia Cup title defence, winning the title in 2023.
Kuldeep Yadav bamboozles UAE batters with spin bowling
Kuldeep Yadav justified his inclusion in India’s playing XI by delivering a brilliant bowling performance to rattle the UAE batters, especially the middle-order of the line-up. The spinner was brought into attack in the seventh over, after the powerplay, but went wicketless in his opening spell of the innings.
However, in the ninth over, Kuldeep left the UAE in a position of reeling, reducing the hosts to 47/3 to 51/6 by taking the wickets of Rahul Chopra (2), skipper Muhammad Waseem (19), and Harshit Kaushik (2). Three wickets in a single over completely shifted the momentum, breaking the backbone of the UAE batting lineup and leaving them with little chance of recovery.
Kuldeep Yadav did not stop here as he picked the final wicket of the hosts by dismissing Haider Ali for 1, helping Team India to bundle out the UAE for 58. The 30-year-old registered an impressive figure of 4/7 at an economy rate of 3.20 in 2.1 overs.
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Team India’s opening match of the Asia Cup against the UAE was Kuldeep Yadav’s first outing in T20Is for over a year. His last appearance in the format was in the T20 World Cup final against South Africa at Barbados last year. Moreover, Kuldeep Yadav played his international match since the Men in Blue’s Champions Trophy title win in the final against New Zealand in Dubai.
Netizens laud Kuldeep Yadav’s performance
Kuldeep Yadav’s performance in India’s opening match against the UAE received applause from Indian cricket fans, who were eager to see his return to Team India after he was benched for the entire Test series against England.
Taking to their X handles (formerly Twitter), netizens hailed the spinner for his magical spell and celebrated his match-winning impact, while others called him ‘best spinner’ in white-ball cricket’ and a vital asset for India’s Asia Cup defence.
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Meanwhile, Team India kicked off their title quest with a convincing 9-wicket win over the UAE. With a target of 58, the Men in Blue chased it down in just 4.3 overs. The openers, Abhishek Sharma (30) and Shubman Gill (20*) gave the defending champions a brilliant start to their run chase before the former was dismissed at 48/1. Thereafter, skipper Suryakumar Yadav joined Gill at the crease to carry on India’s innings.
Suryakumar and Gill smashed a six and a four, respectively, to wrap up the chase in style, sealing India’s emphatic 9-wicket win and marking a dominant start to their Asia Cup 2025 campaign.