The Indian team faces a journey of roughly 130 kilometers and 90 minutes from their Dubai hotel to the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi for their Group-A Asia Cup match against Oman on Friday. Given their recent nine-wicket thrashing of the United Arab Emirates in just 17.4 overs, this trip might prove to be the most challenging aspect for Suryakumar Yadav’s high-flying squad in what is largely an inconsequential fixture.
Having already secured their spot in the Super Four phase with impressive victories against both the UAE and Pakistan, the Men in Blue are significantly stronger than their Middle Eastern opponents. Fans anticipate another comfortable win in this penultimate group stage match, which also marks the inaugural cricket encounter between India and Oman.
India’s tournament performance has been flawless. They dismantled the UAE for a mere 57 runs in their opening game, chasing the target down in under five overs. While a tougher challenge was expected from arch-rivals Pakistan, India’s bowlers delivered a superb display, limiting them to 127 for nine before securing a decisive seven-wicket victory.
With the high-pressure Super Four clash against Pakistan looming on Sunday, this match presents an ideal opportunity for India to test its bench strength. Players like Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Jitesh Sharma, and Rinku Singh have eagerly awaited their turn after sitting out the first two games. Arshdeep, a left-arm pacer just one wicket shy of 100 T20I scalps and India’s leading wicket-taker in the format, is undoubtedly keen to play, especially after being a substitute throughout the recent five-Test series in England. However, the current spin-friendly pitches have typically favored only a single specialist fast bowler, usually Jasprit Bumrah, impacting the team’s balance.
Left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav commented on Thursday, “These pitches have been extremely beneficial for spin bowlers. Unlike the slow surfaces during the Champions Trophy, these wickets now offer significant bounce and zip.”
As the Oman players prepare to compete against some of cricket’s elite, they can draw inspiration from coach Duleep Mendis’s words. He emphasized to The Hindu on Wednesday, “While you can consistently perform against smaller teams, true recognition comes from delivering one or two standout performances against strong opponents. This is an unparalleled opportunity for them.”
The Squads:
India: Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.
Oman: Jatinder Singh (Captain), Aamir Kaleem, Hammad Mirza (wicketkeeper), Vinayak Shukla (wicketkeeper), Sufyan Yousaf (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nadeem, Nadeem Khan, Karan Sonavale, Hassnain Shah, Shakeel Ahmed, Samay Shrivastava, Sufyan Mehmood, Aryan Bisht, Muhammed Imran, Ashish Odedara, Jiten Ramanandi, Shah Faisal, Zikria Islam.