The Indian team, under the captaincy of Suryakumar Yadav, has made a spectacular start to the Asia Cup 2025. In their first match, India handed the UAE a resounding nine-wicket defeat in a one-sided encounter.
Sports News: In the Asia Cup T20, India registered its biggest-ever victory based on balls remaining against the UAE, showcasing a brilliant performance. The Indian team, led by captain Suryakumar Yadav, displayed excellent strategy from their bowlers and aggressive batting to bundle out the UAE for a mere 57 runs. While chasing the target, they scored 60 runs in just 4.3 overs, or 27 balls, ending the match with 93 balls to spare.
Superb Performance by Indian Bowlers
The UAE team, after losing the toss and opting to bat first, managed to score 57 runs in 13.1 overs. The entire team faltered, with 8 players unable to reach double digits. The Indian bowlers maintained pressure from the outset. Jasprit Bumrah provided the first breakthrough by dismissing Alishan Sharafu (22). Subsequently, Varun Chakravarthy made the UAE's task even tougher by getting Mohammed Zoheb (2) out.
In the ninth over, Kuldeep Yadav completely changed the complexion of the game. Captain Suryakumar Yadav showed faith in him by handing him the ball, and Kuldeep demolished the UAE's innings by taking three wickets in a single over. Rahul Chopra (3), captain Mohammed Waseem (19), and Harshit Kaushik (2) were dismissed in this over. Following this, Shivam Dube and Axar Patel further worsened the team's situation by dismissing Asif Khan and Simranjit Singh, respectively. The final blows were delivered by Kuldeep, who dismissed Haider Ali. In total, Kuldeep Yadav claimed 4 wickets, while Shivam Dube took 3 wickets, breaking the back of the UAE's batting lineup. Bumrah, Axar, and Varun also picked up one wicket each.
Aggressive Start to India's Batting
Despite the target being very easy, India did not take it lightly. Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill began aggressively. Abhishek Sharma made his intentions clear by hitting a six on the very first ball of the innings. He became the fourth Indian batsman to hit a six on the first ball of a T20 International match. Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Sanju Samson have achieved this feat before him. Abhishek provided a quick start to the team, scoring 30 runs off 16 balls, but was dismissed before he could extend his individual score.
After that, Shubman Gill and captain Suryakumar Yadav steadied the innings and completed the target without any trouble. Gill remained unbeaten on 20 runs, and Suryakumar finished on 7 runs. India achieved the target in just 4.3 overs and won the match by nine wickets.
This match between India and UAE concluded in a total of 106 balls. The UAE's innings lasted 79 balls, and India used 27 balls to chase down the target. This ranks fourth among the matches that have concluded with the fewest balls in T20 history. A match between Netherlands and Sri Lanka in 2014 ended in 93 balls, while a match between Oman and England in 2024 finished in 99 balls. A fixture between Netherlands and Sri Lanka in 2021 concluded in 103 balls.
