Published: Sep 19, 2025, 08:09 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 19, 2025, 08:09 PM (IST)
Team India will face Oman in their final group stage match of the Asia Cup 2025 in Abu Dhabi on Friday, and with a spot in the Super 4s already secured, the Men in Blue will look to finish the first round unbeaten and carry strong momentum into the next stage of the tournament.
India will play their 250th T20I on Friday evening in Abu Dhabi. With 249 matches already played, they are currently second on the list of teams with the most T20Is, behind Pakistan, who have 275. This makes India only the second team in the world to reach the milestone of 250 or more T20I matches.
India’s team management may choose to bat first in their final group game to get full use of 20 overs before the Super 4s. Openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill will aim to build a strong start, with Abhishek providing quick runs and Gill likely looking for a longer innings. Skipper Suryakumar Yadav, in good form against Pakistan, wants youngsters like Tilak Varma to gain valuable time in the middle. The middle order—Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, and Axar Patel will also look for batting practice, especially since India could play four matches in just seven days if they reach the final.
In bowling, Jasprit Bumrah’s workload will be closely monitored. Gautam Gambhir may decide to rest him, though Bumrah himself could choose to bowl his four overs to maintain rhythm. If he is rested, Arshdeep Singh is likely to return, while Harshit Rana is also in contention. Among spinners, either Kuldeep Yadav or Varun Chakravarthy could be rotated into the XI.
For Oman, the challenge looks massive. Their batting has been poor, with scores of just 67 and 130 against Pakistan and UAE. No batter has crossed 30 runs so far, with Hammad Mirza (27) and Aryan Bisht (24) their top scorers. Facing India’s quality spin and pace attack will be a daunting task.
This will be India’s first match in Abu Dhabi, and Kuldeep Yadav has stressed that no team should be taken lightly in T20 cricket. For India, the focus will be on fine-tuning their game and carrying winning momentum into the Super 4s.
