India is shaking things up for their final Asia Cup 2025 group-stage match against Oman in Abu Dhabi. With an eye on tougher challenges ahead, the team is strategically rotating its squad, providing valuable opportunities for promising talents. Captain Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and elected to bat first.
The most notable change sees star pacer Jasprit Bumrah rested for this encounter. His absence paves the way for Harshit Rana to join the pace attack. Left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh also gets a well-deserved game, eager to claim his 100th T20I wicket after patiently waiting in the wings and being seen warming up with early drills.
In another key adjustment, Sanju Samson steps in as wicketkeeper. The batting lineup is a blend of experience and youthful exuberance, featuring rising stars like Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, and Shivam Dube, supported by seasoned campaigners Suryakumar, Hardik Pandya, and Axar Patel. The spin department will continue to be spearheaded by the red-hot Kuldeep Yadav, who has been in exceptional form, bagging back-to-back Player of the Match awards.
While this match might carry a ‘dead-rubber’ tag for India, the team is focused on maintaining their winning momentum and thoroughly testing their bench strength.
For Oman, this fixture is truly historic. It marks their first-ever international cricket clash against India, offering an unparalleled chance to measure themselves against the reigning world champions, despite being out of contention for further progression in the tournament.
Oman’s bowling attack has demonstrated its potential in earlier matches, successfully keeping opponents’ totals in check. However, their batting has struggled to find consistency, with no individual delivering a standout performance yet. To challenge India’s formidable and diverse bowling unit, Oman will need a unified and exceptional batting effort.
India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
Oman (Playing XI): Aamir Kaleem, Jatinder Singh (captain), Hammad Mirza, Vinayak Shukla (wicketkeeper), Shah Faisal, Zikria Islam, Aryan Bisht, Mohammad Nadeem, Shakeel Ahmed, Samay Shrivastava, Jiten Ramanandi