Dubai, Sep 10 (NationPress) After returning to the T20I squad post the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup final, Kuldeep Yadav showcased his brilliance with remarkable figures of 4-7, leading India to a resounding nine-wicket victory over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their opening match of the 2025 Men’s Asia Cup.

On a pleasant evening at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the UAE began with promise, reaching 47/2 in eight overs. Opener Muhammad Waseem and Alishan Sharafu struck early boundaries before the situation drastically turned against them.

Kuldeep quickly dismantled the UAE batting lineup, claiming three wickets in his second over, leading to an astonishing collapse where the UAE lost their next eight wickets for a mere 10 runs. Their total of 57 runs in 13.1 overs marks the lowest men's T20I score against India.

Shivam Dube, acting as India’s third seam bowler, contributed significantly with three wickets, while Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Axar Patel each secured one wicket. Abhishek Sharma (30) and Shubman Gill (20 not out) launched a fierce assault on the UAE bowlers, completing the chase in just 27 balls.

With this victory, India set a new record for the quickest chase in men's T20I history, finishing the match in a mere 4.3 overs and bolstering their net run rate considerably.

After electing to field first, UAE's Sharafu struck two thick edges off Hardik Pandya and lofted a six against Bumrah before his dismissal at 22 by a perfect yorker.

Chakaravarthy claimed a wicket when Muhammad Zohaib misplayed his googly, leading to a catch at backward point. Waseem capitalized on Bumrah's mistakes, scoring three fours in the last over of the powerplay, with UAE ending at 41/2.

However, with two boundary-less overs, Kuldeep capitalized. He took out Rahul Chopra with a mis-timed shot and trapped Waseem lbw with a straight delivery. His best dismissal came when his googly clean-bowled Harshit Kaushik.

As the pressure mounted on UAE, Asif Khan and Dhruv Parashar survived huge lbw appeals against Chakaravarthy. Dube ultimately dismissed Asif, who edged to Sanju Samson for a catch.

Axar joined the wicket-takers with an lbw of Simranjeet Singh, while Dube added another with a similar dismissal of Parashar. Amidst the chaos, a moment of sportsmanship occurred when Suryakumar Yadav withdrew an appeal against Junaid Siddique, who had been distracted.

However, Siddique soon fell to Dube’s bowling, while Kuldeep sealed UAE’s fate by catching Haider Ali behind. Abhishek started strong, hitting a six over long-off, followed by another boundary.

Gill, returning to T20I action after over a year, struck a four off Muhammad Rohid and cleared square leg for a six. Abhishek showcased his prowess by muscling a six over long-off and slicing another boundary over extra cover.

Despite a miscue that led to Abhishek's dismissal, Suryakumar got off the mark with a signature six over fine leg, while Gill finished the match with a pull past mid-on, securing a dominating win for India.

Brief Scores: UAE 57 in 13.1 overs (Alishan Sharafu 22, Muhammad Waseem 19; Kuldeep Yadav 4-7, Shivam Dube 3-4) lost to India 60/1 in 4.3 overs (Abhishek Sharma 30, Shubman Gill 20 not out; Junaid Siddique 1-16) by nine wickets.