By R. Rakendu
India recorded a record win in their first match in Asia Cup 2025, by defeating UAE by nine wickets on Wednesday, 10 September 2025. Captain of Indian Team, Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and decided to bowl first.
Captain of Pakistan Cricket Team, Salman Ali Agha at a press conference in Dubai on Tuesday, stated that India cannot be considered favourites in the Asia Cup 2025. A day later, India proved that they are the better team in the tournament. The reigning world champions began their Asian campaign by defeating UAE by nine wickets in the match held in Dubai. India won by chasing a target of 58 runs in just 4.3 overs. This is India’s fastest ever run chase in T20 Internationals.
Kuldeep Yadav, the left-arm spinner who returned to the T20 team after playing in the World Cup final last year, became the man of the match. He has been in form since then. After being benched for the entire five-Test series in England, Kuldeep made the most of his opportunity. The UAE batsmen struggled to read him making it easy for him to take wickets. All-rounder Shivam Dubey also proved that selecting him to be a part of the team was the right decision by taking 3 wickets.
Captain Suryakumar Yadav’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss was a good one. The Indian bowlers were able to crush the UAE team. However, the small target did not give the Indian batsmen a chance to mount a good challenge.
There was much talk about India’s opening pair for the first match of the Asia Cup. With Shubman Gill being included in the team as vice-captain, there was also a lot of speculation about whether Sanju Samson would play. Finally, that speculation came to an end on Wednesday. Both Sanju Samson and Gill were a part of the playing XI.