UAE crashed to a devastating 9-wicket defeat against India as their batting fell like nine pins to the quality Indian bowling. UAE started decently with the bat and had a good powerplay. But things unravelled post that and they collapsed in a heap adding very little to the score from the powerplay. While it was a dominant display from the Men In Blue, UAE were exposed on the big stage as their batting left a lot to be desired. There was an apparent reason for their loss and we will try and list three of them here.
Losing 8/16 in 7.1 overs post powerplay sealed UAE’s fate
Put into bat first, UAE made a decent start through their openers Alishan Sharafu and captain Muhammad Waseem as both went into double figures with Sharafu scoring 22 and Waseem 19. The openers showed good intent and while India picked up 2 inside the powerplay, UAE did decently and had a platform at 41/2 in 6 overs to get to a decent score that could challenge India. What followed post powerplay was a disaster for UAE and great from India’s point of view.
The runs dried up initially and then wickets started to fall like nine pins. The chief destroyer was Kuldeep Yadav as he picked up 4/7 in 2.1 overs. He broke the back of the batting by picking up 3 wickets in a single over which included the wicket of Waseem. He later came back to pick the final wicket of the innings. Apart from Kuldeep, Shivam Dube did damage as he picked up 3 wickets in 2 overs. Introduced after 10 overs, he came and picked up a wicket in his first over and two more in his next over. Axar got himself a wicket too.
It was a collapse of epic proportions as UAE could muster only 16 runs in 7.1 overs as the runs had dried up too plus the wickets lost. After the openers, no one got to double digits tells us about the sorry state of affairs for UAE batters. India are a quality side and their bowling is great no doubt but to show no fight must be hurting them as they have been totally exposed. Going forward, an improvement in batting display is a must especially against Pakistan as they are a quality side too. Let us hope this performance does not deflate UAE too much and they can recover and compete.
Inability to pick Kuldeep Yadav hurt the UAE batters
Kuldeep Yadav had a point to prove after being on the bench for two months during the Test series in England. He was itching to go out there and perform for his side and once given the opportunity he took it with both hands and bamboozled UAE batters to put in a Player of the Match performance. Kuldeep is a quality bowler and when on song, people struggle to pick him. Established teams have faced problems against him and the story was not different for UAE.
Kuldeep has great lines and lengths along with variations and the UAE batters had no clue. They couldn’t pick him from his hand and were playing him from the pitch. This proved to be the big difference and Kuldeep bowled quicker and the batters played the wrong line. Whether it was the flipper, leg break or googly, Kuldeep mixed it up really well to trouble the batters. Some batters gave their wicket away while others were clueless against him. His 4/7 marked a triumphant return to the Indian team.
UAE needs to try and apply themselves to do better and compete against higher ranked sides. It showed that if you are off your game, a good side can pounce on you and India did that with aplomb. One hopes UAE learns and more importantly put this batting failure behind them and come back stronger in the remaining two games as that will be important for them. Yes, Net Run Rate has taken a beating but nothing can be done about it now.
Losing 3 wickets to Shivam Dube showed UAE’s frailties with the bat
As if losing 4 wickets to Kuldeep Yadav which included 3 in an over was not enough, UAE lost three in two overs to Shivam Dube. No doubt Dube is a handy seamer who can roll his arm over, but he is more a batter who can bowl a bit. No doubt he bowled well and mixed his variations and stuff, but him taking 3 wickets in 2 overs just summed up the day for UAE. He was introduced as the 6th bowler after 10 overs were bowled and he too created havoc.
Shivam did not bowl any magical deliveries. He bowled normal seam ups back of a length delivery and mixed his variations to get rewards. The pitch was good to play against the pacers but Dube bowled well and got his reward. He is the sixth bowling option and a part-timer one can say, but him bowling and taking 3 wickets is a bonus and augurs well for India going forward. For UAE, it was a night to forget in all accounts.
Yes, with the ball they conceded the target in 4.3 overs but they still managed a wicket under their belt. We cannot find faults with the bowling as it was a paltry score they were defending and tried hard for wickets but India were too good and in a hurry for the chase. Like we mentioned, UAE needs to take learnings and forget this game very quickly and start from scratch in their next game as these kind of games can deflate any team. One hopes they bounce back and compete in remaining games.
What Lies Ahead
The bandwagon shifts back to Abu Dhabi from Dubai for tonight’s clash. It is a Group B clash and our first look at Bangladesh as the three-time Asia Cup runners-up takes on bruised Hong Kong at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium from 8 PM IST on 11th September 2025. The Bangla Tigers will be hoping to get off to a winning start while Hong Kong will aim to bounce back and cause an upset.
Will Bangladesh begin with a win? Or will Hong Kong play spoilsport and upset the Tigers? We shall find out later tonight in Abu Dhabi.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2025: Kuldeep Yadav’s 4-Wicket Haul Headlines A Dominant Win For India