Can India Maintain Their Winning Streak? Samson's Fifty and Arshdeep’s 100th Wicket Propel Them to Victory Over Oman!

Abu Dhabi, Sep 19 (NationPress) A determined half-century from Sanju Samson (56 off 45) and a remarkable achievement by Arshdeep Singh, who became the first Indian male cricketer to secure 100 T20I wickets, highlighted India’s 21-run triumph against Oman at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Thursday night, preserving their unbeaten streak in the Men's T20 Asia Cup 2025.

After setting a target of 188/8 — marking their third-highest score against an Associate nation in T20Is — India faced a tough challenge as Oman fought valiantly with the bat. Captain Jatinder Singh (32 off 33) and Aamir Kaleem provided a solid opening partnership, accumulating 44 runs in the Power-play before Kuldeep Yadav broke the partnership in the ninth over.

Kaleem then formed a 93-run alliance with Hammad Mirza, putting pressure on the Indian bowlers. Kaleem reached his fifty off 38 balls and ultimately scored 64 off 46 in the 18th over while attempting to accelerate the run rate.

Mirza also contributed significantly, achieving his fifty in just 30 balls before being dismissed by Hardik Pandya in the penultimate over. Despite a flurry of boundaries from Jiten Ramanandi in the final over, Oman finished at 167/4, resulting in a 21-run victory for India.

India’s bowlers had to exert themselves on a flat pitch, with Hardik concluding with figures of 1-26, Kuldeep taking 1-23 in three overs, and Harshit Rana returning 1-25 with impressive pace. The pivotal moment arrived in the last over when Arshdeep Singh, assigned to finish the game, not only secured the win but also achieved his 100th T20I wicket — positioning himself as the leading wicket-taker in India’s history.

Earlier, Samson anchored India’s innings following an explosive start by Abhishek Sharma, who struck 38 runs off just 15 balls during the Power-play. India suffered an early setback when vice-captain Shubman Gill was bowled by Faisal Shah for 5 in the second over, but Abhishek’s fireworks maintained the momentum until Ramanandi provided the breakthrough. A surprising promotion for Hardik Pandya ended in disappointment as he was run out for just one after a straight drive from Samson deflected off Ramanandi’s fingertips.

Samson was supported by Axar Patel, who played aggressively with a brisk 26 off 13, as the duo added 45 runs from 23 balls. However, wickets fell rapidly thereafter, with Shivam Dube dismissed for 5, leaving India at 130/5 in the 14th over. Tilak Varma, unusually batting at number seven, provided a valuable 29 off 18 as Samson steadied the ship.

Fighting through the heat, Samson reached his half-century in 41 balls — the third slowest by an Indian in Men’s Asia Cup T20 history — before falling for 56. Harshit Rana then concluded the innings with a massive six, and India finished at 188/8.

For Oman, the spin trio excelled. Faisal Shah (2-23), Jiten Ramanandi (2-33), and Aamir Kaleem (2-31) collectively took six wickets, preventing India from surpassing the 200-run mark. Despite their spirited chase, Oman fell short as India celebrated both victory and a record-breaking achievement for Arshdeep Singh.

Brief scores:

India 188/8 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 56, Abhishek Sharma 38; Aamir Kaleem 2/31, Jiten Ramanandi 2/33) defeated Oman 167/4 in 20 overs (Aamir Kaleem 64, Hammad Mirza 51; Hardik Pandya 1/26, Kuldeep Yadav 1/23) by 21 runs.