In a match that lasted just 106 balls in total, India ruthlessly dismantled the United Arab Emirates by 9 wickets, chasing down a target of 58 inside 5.3 overs – a blitz that now ranks among the shortest completed T20 Internationals in history. From 26/0 to 57 all out, the hosts lost 10 wickets for 31 runs in a span of overs that saw Shivam Dube pick up 3 wickets, and the rest shared among Kuldeep and Hardik Pandya.
India chased the total in just 4.3 balls with Abhishek Sharma (30) and Shubman Gill (20) easily powered India towards a dashing win in the opening match of Asia Cup 2025. After the win, Indian skipper reflected on the win and mentioned that everyone in the team was excited to play a good game.
“Wanted to see how the wicket was playing, it was the same in the second innings as well. (On if they will get their entire match fee with this being an early finish) That we will talk about later (laughs). Clinical performance from the buys. Wanted good energy and attitude in the field and that carried over into the batting. Recently, a lot of boys were here during the Champions Trophy. It (the pitch) looked good but it looked on the slower side.”
“It is very hot here, so thought spinners might have a bit more dominance, but nice support shown by Hardik, Bumrah and Dube. (On Abhishek) He is a phenomenal batter and that is the reason he is the world number one (batter) right now. He keeps the team first, irrespective of the score, and that is unbelievable from him. (On sending a message to Pakistan with this performance) We all are excited, everyone wants to play a good game and we are really looking forward to it.”