India couldn’t have asked for a better start to their Asia Cup 2025 campaign. Under the leadership of Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian team completely outclassed the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with a commanding 9-wicket victory in Dubai. What stood out most was not just the result, but the sheer dominance with which India sealed the game—winning in just 106 balls.
Heroes of the Match – 5 Key Players Who Changed the Game
- Kuldeep Yadav – Returning to the Indian side after 14 months, the left-arm chinaman produced a dream spell. He took 4 wickets for just 7 runs in 2.1 overs, including three in a single over. His comeback couldn’t have been scripted better, and he was rightly awarded the Player of the Match.
Shivam Dube – Known for his all-round abilities, Dube dismantled UAE’s middle order. Bowling with accuracy, he finished with 3 wickets for 4 runs in 2 overs, removing Asif Khan, Dhruv Parashar, and Junaid Siddique.
Jasprit Bumrah – India’s pace spearhead drew first blood by cleaning up Alishan Sharafu with a trademark yorker. Bumrah bowled a disciplined spell of 3 overs for 9 runs and 1 wicket, setting the tone for the collapse.
Abhishek Sharma – Chasing a modest target of 58, young Abhishek Sharma gave India a flying start. He smashed 30 runs off just 16 balls, hitting two boundaries and three sixes. Remarkably, he launched India’s chase with a six on the very first ball.
Shubman Gill – Making a return to the T20I side, Gill played a short yet stylish innings. He scored 20 off 9 balls*, finishing the match with a crisp four. As the tournament’s vice-captain, Gill’s confident knock is a big positive for India moving ahead.
Post-Match Reactions
During the post-match presentation, commentator Sanjay Manjrekar humorously quipped to captain Suryakumar Yadav, “This was such a one-sided win, I wonder if you’ll even get full match fees for this.” To this, Suryakumar laughed and replied, “We’ll talk about that later.”
On a serious note, Suryakumar praised his team’s effort:
“The players showed great discipline and energy. We wanted to test the wicket and see how it behaved. The pitch was slow, spinners had a big role to play, and Kuldeep’s spell was outstanding. Dube and Bumrah supported him really well.”
With this victory, India not only secured two points but also boosted their net run rate to +10.483, a major advantage early in the tournament.
