DUBAI: India continued their dominant run in the Asia Cup with a hard-fought win over Oman at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Dubai. The victory ensured India remained unbeaten and comfortably advanced to the Super 4 stage, setting up a high-voltage clash with arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday. With qualification already sealed, India took the opportunity to rotate their squad, resting frontline stars Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakaravarthy to give opportunities to Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh. Despite this reshuffle, India displayed resilience and depth, showcasing their bench strength ahead of tougher challenges in the tournament.
Opting to bat first, India lost early momentum when Shubman Gill departed for just five runs to a sharp in-swinger from Faisal Shah. Sanju Samson steadied the innings with a composed 56 off 45 balls, anchoring the middle order and ensuring India maintained a competitive run rate. Valuable cameos from Axar Patel and Shivam Dube added crucial runs as India posted 188/8 in 20 overs. Oman’s bowlers impressed in patches, with Faisal Shah, Jiten Ramanandi, and Aamir Kaleem claiming two wickets each, restricting India below the 200-mark and keeping the contest alive heading into the second innings.
Oman, playing their first-ever T20I against India, rose to the occasion with a spirited chase that briefly threatened an upset. Captain Jatinder Singh got the innings off to a bright start before falling to Kuldeep Yadav, but the highlight was a 90-run stand between veteran opener Aamir Kaleem and Hammad Mirza. Kaleem’s half-century and Mirza’s fluent 51 off 33 balls kept India’s bowlers under pressure, forcing captain Yadav to rotate his attack and use six different bowling options. The partnership not only energised the crowd but also underlined Oman’s growing potential on the international stage.
India regained control in the crucial death overs when Harshit Rana dismissed Kaleem, followed shortly by Hardik Pandya removing the dangerous Mirza. Arshdeep Singh sealed the result by becoming the first Indian to reach 100 T20I wickets, etching his name into the record books. Oman ultimately fell 21 runs short, but their performance earned admiration for restricting India and launching a fearless chase. For India, Samson’s steady knock will serve as a timely confidence booster ahead of the high-stakes showdown with Pakistan, while the match itself offered a glimpse into the rising competitiveness of associate nations like Oman.
