India get game time and beat Oman
India 188 for 8 (Samson 56, Abhishek 38, Faisal 2-23, Ramanandi 2-33) beat Oman 167 for 4 (Kaleem 64, Mirza 51, Kuldeep 1-23, Hardik 1-26) by 21 runs
After India's batters got only around 20 overs of crease time across their first two games against UAE and Pakistan, they batted first for the first time in the Asia Cup and posted 188 for 8 against Oman. All their batters got a hit in the middle, except Suryakumar Yadav, who slid down to No.11, after he had been carded at No.5, despite India losing seven wickets. Though Oman made a creditable impression with both ball and bat, they could not overcome India's might and depth.
Abhishek Sharma did Abhishek Sharma things, clattering 38 off 15 balls. He was the only India batter to have a strike rate of over 200 on an Abu Dhabi pitch that offered some grip and turn. Sanju Samson, who slotted in at No.3, was less fluent, but moved to a 41-ball fifty. Cameos from Tilak Varma (29 off 18), Axar Patel (26 off 13), and Harshit Rana (13* off 8) then pushed India up towards 190.
India had rested their bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and newly minted No.1 T20I bowler Varun Chakravarthy, but Kuldeep Yadav befuddled Oman's batters with his variations. Oman's openers struck up a 56-run partnership but by the time Kuldeep broke it with Jatinder Singh's wicket in the ninth over, the asking rate had shot up to 12. Though Aamir Kaleem and No.3 Hammad Mirza battled for Oman with half-centuries, they could not find the higher gears that could have hurt India. In pursuit of 189, Oman finished with 167 for 4.
Having applied so much scoreboard pressure on Oman, India could afford to experiment with their bowling too. Tilak and Abhishek were among eight bowlers India used on Friday.
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Arshdeep's century
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Hardik pulls off a screamer
Kaleem picks up a full ball from his pads and puts it away. It seems destined to sail into boundary...until Hardik's athletic intervention at the long-leg boundary.
Hardik runs across to his right, flings both his hands to his right and grabs it. The momentum threatens to drag him into the boundary, but Hardik somehow holds his balance and stays inside the field of play with the ball. It has put a smile on fielding coach T Dilip's face. Bumrah, with the bib on today, is also impressed with that effort from Hardik.
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Kaleem keeps fighting for Oman
Aamir Kaleem, who will turn 44 in November, brings up a half-century off 38 balls against the world T20 champions. Oman need 58 off 24 balls, with nine wickets in the shed. Mirza has also turned up the tempo at the other end.
Namooh Shah: Associate batters to score a fifty v India in men's T20Is
Noor Ali Zadran (AFG), Gros Islet 2010
Aamir Kaleem(OMA), Abu Dhabi 2025
Noor Ali Zadran (AFG), Gros Islet 2010
Aamir Kaleem(OMA), Abu Dhabi 2025
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Axar leaves the field
Mirza skies Dube, but Axar runs back from cover, loses his balance and drops the chance. He also hurts himself in the process, banging his head into the ground.
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India keep experimenting
With the asking rate jumping towards 15, India have room to experiment with their bowling too. SKY gives Tilak a go and the part-time spinner responds with an eight-run over. Abhishek Sharma and Shivam Dube also get some game time with the ball in the middle overs. Axar, btw, has bowled just one over so far. Oman are 92 for 1 in 13 overs, needing 97 from 42 balls, with nine wickets in hand.
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Kuldeep gives India the breakthrough
Both Jatinder and Kaleem are struggling to pick Kuldeep out of the hand. In his second over, the left-arm wristspinner has the Oman captain chopping on with his stock ball that breaks back in quickly against the angle from left-arm over the wicket. Jatinder gone for 32 off 33 balls. Oman need 133 off 69 balls, with nine wickets in the shed.
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Decent start for Oman
In pursuit of 189, Oman have had a decent start, reaching 44 for 0 in six overs. Jatinder countered Arshdeep's swinging by jumping out of the crease and making the left-arm quick wait for his 100th T20I wicket. Harshit Rana has bowled two overs in the powerplay, running in hard and hitting the Abu Dhabi deck harder. Kaleem has quietly managed 15 off 13 balls. The asking rate has shot past ten an over.
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Jatinder Singh shows intent
The Oman skipper steps out to his first ball and yorks himself. He then shimmies out and short-arm jabs him straight of mid-on for four.
Jatinder Singh nearly retired in June 2024. He was suffering from sciatic nerve compression in the spinal cord and the pain was so much worse than the disappointment of not making the Oman squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
The flare-ups were so bad that even bending down was a battle. Walking was measured and slow. Playing cricket seemed impossible in these circumstances.
But Jatinder has found a way back and is leading Oman's push for the T20 World Cup.
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Jaffer, Mukund pick India's alternate T20I XI
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Abhishek, Samson take India to 188
India 188 for 8 (Samson 56, Abhishek 38, Faisal 2-23) vs Oman
Abhishek Sharma's speedy 38 in the powerplay, in which India scored 60, and Sanju Samson's stop-start fifty from No.3 took India to 188 for 8 against Oman in the last league fixture of the Asia Cup after they had decided to bat in Abu Dhabi.
With this being a dead rubber, India experimented with their combination ahead of the Super Four, resting their bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and newly minted No.1 T20I bowler Varun Chakravarthy. India also fiddled with their batting line-up, with their captain Suryakumar Yadav sliding down to No.11. In the end, Suryakumar didn't bat at all, with the returning Harshit Rana managing an unbeaten 13 off eight balls from No.8. He closed out the innings with a scythed six over point.
It was Abhishek who made the early running for India, clattering five fours and two sixes during his 38 off 15 balls. He got a reprieve on 21 when he tickled Mohammad Nadeem down the leg side, but Vinayak Shukla, the Oman keeper, shelled the catch and umpire Raveendra Wilalasiri eventually deemed it as wides.
Abhishek added 17 to his tally before nicking another one behind, Shukla making no mistake this time. Samson had a slow start - he was on 13 off 14 balls at one point - but a six and a four off Madhya Pradesh born Oman wristspinner Samay Shrivatsava got him out of first gear. Samson proceeded to crash Zikria Islam for a straight six in the tenth over, but slowed down once again thereafter.
Then after bringing up his half-century off 51 balls, Samson holed out in the 18th over. India cobbled together 21 off the last three overs and managed to find the boundary just once during this period.
Faisal Shah, Jiten Ramanandi and Aamir Kaleem shared six wickets among them for Oman.
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Fifty for Samson, India eye late impetus
Dube also holes out, for 5, while going for a six, while Samson has got to his fifty off 41 balls. It's been a start-stop innings from Samson so far. Tilak, though, gets cracking with some reverse-hits and big hits down the ground. India are 167 for 5 in 17 overs. With SKY to come in next at No.8, India will aim to hit full throttle in the last three overs.
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India keep attacking
Axar Patel has just smashed left-arm spinner Kaleem for a slog-swept six over midwicket. He throws his bat at the next ball and snicks it behind to the keeper for 26 off 13 balls. Two balls later, Samson slashes Kaleem for four. Samson has moved to 43 off 33 balls. India are 125 for 4 in 12 overs.
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Abhishek does Abhishek things
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India lose Abhishek, Hardik in the same over
Abhishek was on 21 when he tickled one behind only for the keeper to do it and for the umpire to deem it as wides. He adds 17 to his tally before nicking another one behind, with the keeper making no mistake this time.
Ramanandi darts it full and wide of off, gets it to nip away even further. Abhishek flays at it and edges it behind. In the same over, India lose Hardik, who was promoted ahead of SKY, for 1.
Ramanandi drew a weak chip from Samson off a slower variation. Samson simply chipped it back to the bowler, who can't cling onto the return catch but manages to finger-tip it back onto the stumps, catching Hardik short.
India are 73 for 3 in the eighth over. Axar has been bumped up to No.5, ahead of Tilak and SKY.
Suryakumar Yadav has never batted below no.5 in T20Is, notes our statsman Namooh Shah
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Abhishek gets a lifeline
Abhishek is on 21 when he tickles a leg-side delivery from Nadeem behind to the keeper, who drops it. Umpire Raveendra Wimalasiri, though, deems it as wides. Abhishek quickly puts that behind him and cracks Nadeem for back-to-back fours. He has raced away to 38 off 14 balls; India are 60 for 1 in six overs
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Abhishek attacks Shakeel
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Left-arm spinner Shakeel got away with just one ball to Abhishek in the opening over. But he gets taken for a six and two fours in four balls in his second over. Shakeel is operating from round the stumps, aiming to drag it away from the left-handed Abhishek, but the batter still brings it within his reach and pumps the left-arm spinner away. India are 22 for 1 in three overs.
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Gill castled, Samson in at No.3
After hitting hard lengths with his first two balls in the second over, Shah Faisal goes much fuller. He operates from left-arm over, threatens to take this one away from Gill, but it swings back in to breach his defences and floor the off stump. Faisal wheels away in celebration and savours the moment. Gill gone for 5 off 8 balls. After chalking up two DNBs in this Asia Cup, Samson walks out to bat at No.3.
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Left-arm spin vs Abhishek
Shakeel was Oman's most economical bowler, going into this game, having an economy rate of under five. Despite the presence of Abhishek at the top, Jatinder tosses the new ball to Shakeel once again. Shakeel fires a quick dart first ball and pings the pad, but it had pitched outside leg. Oman review in vain.
When Shakeel overpitched to Gill, he stretched forward and crunched him to the left of long-off for four. Good over from the spinner, nevertheless. India 6 for 0 in 1 over
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India rest Bumrah, opt to bat
Toss India opt to bat vs Oman
India captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and elected to bat against Oman in the last league fixture of the Asia Cup, in Abu Dhabi. With this being a dead rubber - India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have qualified for the Super Four - India experimented with their combination, resting their bowling spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy. They handed Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh their first games of the tournament.
With Abu Dhabi less conducive to spin than Dubai in recent times, India picked only two specialist spinners in Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel though Abhishek Sharma can also pitch in with left-arm spin, if needed. Arshdeep, who returned to the XI, is on the brink of a milestone: he is just one strike away from 100 T20I wickets. He is set to become the first Indian to the landmark.
Suryakumar explained that India chose to bat to test their depth. "We've not batted [first] in this competition and we want to know our depth. having game-time is important going into Super Fours," he said.
Oman also made two changes, with Zikira Islam and Mohammad Nadeem coming in for Wasim Ali and Hassnain Shah.
Oman captain Jatinder said that they lack experience and exposure at this level and are keen to compete against India. This is the first international game between Oman and India.
India: 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Sanju Samson (wk), 4 Suryakumar Yadav (capt), 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Harshit Rana, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Kuldeep Yadav
Oman: 1 Aamir Kaleem, 2 Jatinder Singh (capt), 3 Hammad Mirza, 4 Vinayak Shukla (wk), 5 Shah Faisal, 6 Zikria Islam, 7 Aryan Bisht, 8 Mohammad Nadeem, 9 Shakeel Ahmed, 10 Samay Shrivastava, 11 Jiten Ramanandi
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When India A faced Oman
Under Tilak's captaincy, India A faced a Jatinder-Singh led Oman side in the Emerging Asia Cup in Al Amerat last year. Abhishek Sharma and MP-born Oman wristspinner Samay Shrivastava were also part of that game.
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Welcome!
The Super Four teams have been locked in: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. So, the final game of the league phase of the Asia Cup is a dead rubber. But both India and Oman will be looking to use this fixture as prep for upcoming challenges.
While India's batters will want some time in the middle before round 2 vs Pakistan, in the Super Four, Oman will aim to compete against India and tune up for the T20 World Cup Asia & East-Asia-Pacific Regional Qualifier. This is India's first game in Abu Dhabi this tournament and with this being a dead rubber, there could be a change or two in India's line-up. This is also the first meeting between India and Oman in international cricket.
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