India kicked off their 2025 Men’s Asia Cup campaign with a thrilling nine-wicket thrashing of the UAE in Dubai. Openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill made the chase look like child’s play, wrapping up the modest target of 58 in just 27 balls at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
It all started with India’s bowlers running riot. Kuldeep Yadav grabbed 4 wickets for just 7 runs, while Shivam Dube chipped in with 3-4 to bundle out UAE for a paltry 57 in 13.1 overs. UAE’s batsmen struggled against the relentless Indian attack, with Alishan Sharafu top-scoring on 22 and Muhammad Waseem making 19.
Chasing a tiny total, Abhishek (30) and Gill (20 not out) unleashed a barrage of boundaries and sixes. Abhishek wasted no time, lofting Haider Ali for a six over long-off and slashing the spinner for four. He even smashed Dhruv Parashar over long-off for another massive six before pulling Junaid Siddique for his third. Sadly, he fell trying a big heave, caught at mid-on.
Gill, back in the T20I side after over a year, looked sharp too. He slashed Muhammad Rohid for four and flicked uppishly over square leg for six. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav (7 not out) joined the fun with his signature swish over fine leg for six, and Gill sealed the win with a pull past mid-on for four off Simranjeet Singh.
This victory marks India’s fastest T20I chase ever, beating their previous record of 6.3 overs against Scotland in the 2021 T20 World Cup—also in Dubai. As defending T20 World Cup champions, India now boast a huge net run rate boost heading into the tournament.
For UAE, it was a tough day—their batting folded early, and their bowlers couldn’t contain the Indian fireworks. Brief scores: UAE 57 all out in 13.1 overs (Alishan Sharafu 22, Muhammad Waseem 19; Kuldeep Yadav 4-7, Shivam Dube 3-4) lost to India 60/1 in 4.3 overs (Abhishek Sharma 30, Shubman Gill 20*; Junaid Siddique 1-16) by nine wickets.
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