How Did India Secure Their Place in the Super 4s of the Asia Cup?

Abu Dhabi, Sep 15 (NationPress) In a thrilling encounter, India emerged as the first team to secure a spot in the Super 4 phase of the Asia Cup 2025 from Group A, following United Arab Emirates (UAE) achieving their first victory of the tournament by defeating Oman by 42 runs in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

This outcome not only kept the UAE's hopes alive for the next round but also marked the official elimination of Oman, who faced their second consecutive defeat.

Suryakumar Yadav and his squad, who kicked off their campaign with a commanding win over UAE and followed it up with a seven-wicket victory against Pakistan on Sunday, were already nearly assured of progressing. However, UAE's win guaranteed India's advancement with two victories from two matches in Group A. The final spot will now be contested in a virtual knockout match between Pakistan and UAE on Wednesday.

After being put in to bat, UAE capitalized on the powerplay with a solid 88-run opening partnership between captain Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu. Sharafu was particularly aggressive early on, charging down the pitch against the Omani spinners and hitting six boundaries within the field restrictions. He achieved a stylish half-century in just 37 balls before being dismissed by Jiten Ramanandi for 51.

Waseem, on the other hand, anchored the innings with a composed 69 off 54 balls, becoming the fourth-fastest player to reach 3000 T20I runs, joining the ranks of elite players like Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, and Mohammad Rizwan. Although he faced some challenges with timing, Waseem capitalized on missed chances and celebrated his fifty with a signature six down the ground.

Cameos from Mohammad Zuhaib (21 off 13) and Harshit Kaushik (19* off 8) propelled UAE to a competitive score of 172 for 5. Among the Omani bowlers, only Ramanandi (2/24) and Shakeel Ahmed (0/16) managed to maintain their composure, while the others struggled.

Oman's chase stumbled right from the start, with Junaid Siddique (4/23) dismissing both openers—Aamir Kaleem (2) and captain Jatinder Singh (20)—within the first four overs. The middle order collapsed under pressure, with Haider Ali (2/22) and Muhammad Jawadullah (2/18) also taking regular wickets. From a precarious 32 for 4 and later 50 for 5, Oman couldn't recover despite brief resistance from debutant Aryan Bisht (24) and wicketkeeper Vinayak Shukla (20). They were ultimately bowled out for 130 in 18.4 overs.

This victory provided a significant boost for UAE, keeping them in the race for Super 4 qualification, while Oman's journey came to an early conclusion following back-to-back defeats. With India firmly through, all eyes now focus on Wednesday's critical matchup between Pakistan and UAE, which will determine the group's second qualifier.