Team India had a dashing start to their Asia Cup 2025 with a dominant win over UAE on Wednesday, September 10. Opting to bowl first, the Indian team dismissed the United Arab Emirates batting lineup for just 57 runs in 13.1 overs.
India opted to go with three spinners – Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy and Axar Patel out of which Kuldeep delivered an incredible performance, as he picked up 4 wickets for just 7 runs in 2.1 overs. Shivam Dube also emerged as a surprise game-changer, he also picked up three wickets and left UAE absolutely stranded.
After an exceptional bowling effort, India wasted no time in chasing the target and they chased it in just 4.3 overs. Shubman Gill came out unbeaten at 20 off 9 balls. However, it was Abhishek Sharma who stole the spotlight as he scored 30 off 16 balls which included three sixes and two fours. Abhishek Sharma also became the first Indian in T20I history to hit a six on the very first delivery of the run chase – a feat which is very rare.
Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav also praised Abhishek Sharma and lauded his quality to keep the team first always. In the post-match interview, SKY said: “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.”