ABU DHABI: India survived a scare to beat Oman by 21 runs in the final group stage fixture of the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 here at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Set 188, spirited Oman fell short and managed to score 167-4 in their 20 overs.
In pursuit of the target, the openers provided a solid start with 56 on the board. Jatinder Singh departed after scoring 32 from 33 balls with the aid of five fours.
However, Aamir Kaleem and Hammad Mirza paired up for a massive 93-run partnership, which kept Indian bowlers at bay in the middle overs.
The duo batted cautiously and took their team to the 150-run mark. The stand eventually culminated with Aamir Kaleem’s wicket, who was caught brilliantly by Hardik Pandya on the boundary line. He top-scored with 64 from 46 balls, striking seven fours and two sixes.
Mirza followed him shortly after, for a well-made 51 from 33 balls. The right-hander struck seven fours and two sixes in his gutsy knock.
With these wickets, Oman’s hopes for a memorable win were dashed as the asking rate was too much for the upcoming batters.
For India, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, and Hardik Pandya picked up one wicket each.
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Earlier, Sanju Samson’s half-century and Abhishek Sharma’s onslaught powered India to a formidable total against
India capitalized on the decision to bat first and amassed 188-8 in their 20 overs despite losing Shubman Gill for five.
After an early wicket, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson quickly steadied the innings, adding a brisk 65 off 35 balls, which brought the total to 72 in 7.1 overs.
Sharma remained the core aggressor and made 38 from just 15 balls. His powerful knock featured two sixes and five fours.
However, Oman roared back with back-to-back wickets and put India in a precarious position at 73-3 in 7.3 overs. Meanwhile, Samson continued and played an anchoring knock off 56 from 45 balls.
Later on, cameos from Axar Patel (26 from 13) and Tilak Varma (29 from 18) helped the Men in Blue to finish strong.
For Oman, Shah Faisal remained the pick of the bowlers and picked up two wickets. Aamir Kaleem and Jiten Ramanandi supported him well with two scalps apiece.
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