In the final group stage game of Asia Cup 2025, the Men in Blue India are back in action as they take on Oman at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. It is a Group A fixture and the 12th match of the tournament. This is a proper dead rubber if you want to call it that as the four spots for Super 4s have been sealed already. India are unbeaten and are through topping the Group while Oman are winless and at the bottom of the points table.
But there is still a lot to play for as India will look to maybe test their bench strength a little bit, rest key players as their first Super 4 game is in Dubai on Sunday. But winning the game will be on priority list for Suryakumar Yadav and his men as India will want to put out a clinical performance ahead of the bigger challenges that await them. Oman will want to showcase what they are made of and try and compete against India. It’s also an opportunity to shine on the big stage for them with millions watching this match.
Overview
With qualification secured for the Super 4 stage, India are likely to test their bench strength when they face Oman in their final Group A clash of Asia Cup 2025. This last league fixture will be played at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. India who are currently topping Group A after registering comprehensive wins against UAE and Pakistan. The Men in Blue have fielded the same playing XI in the first two matches but might well look to rest a few players ahead of the Super Four Stage.
On the other hand, Oman are out of Super Fours after losing both their games they have played so far. They will be playing for pride and get exposure against the defending T20 World Cup champions when they take the field against India.
India brushed aside Pakistan in their last encounter that caught a lot of eyeballs for what happened after the Men in Blue secured an easy win in Dubai. India were asked to bowl by their arch rivals and Suryakumar Yadav’s men were on the money from the word go.
The bowlers were clinical and clicked in unison to restrict Pakistan to 127/9 in 20 overs. Kuldeep Yadav weaved his magic and picked up three for 18 from his four overs. Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel bagged two wickets each while Hardik Pandya and Varun Chakaravarthy picked up one wicket each.
In response, Abhishek Sharma started the chase by taking down Shaheen Afridi in the first over itself. Shubman Gill struck two boundaries before he got a peach of a delivery from Saim Ayub. Suryakumar Yadav carried his bat after walking in to bat at number 3 early in the chase. He remained unbeaten on 47. Abhishek made 31 off just 13 balls.
Tilak Varma scored a run a ball 31 and Shivam Dube was unbeaten on 10 off 7 balls to see the Men in Blue over the line with 25 balls to spare. On the other hand, Oman lost to UAE in their last encounter. Bowling first, they conceded 172/5 in 20 overs. Jiten Ramanandi took two wickets while Hassnain Shah and Samay Shrivastava took one wicket each.
With the bat, Jatinder Singh (20), Aryan Bisht (24), and Vinayak Shukla (20) were the only notable contributors with the bat as Oman were bowled out for 130 in 18.4 overs. So, the stage is set for the last Group game of Asia Cup 2025. It remains to be seen whether Oman can surprise themselves and others to surprise India. India definitely the favourites. This is the first meeting between the two sides ever in T20 International cricket.
Pitch & Weather Report
The pitch at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium is generally good for batting and help for the spinners is always there. There could be lateral movement early on for the pacers while spinners are expected to take control in the middle overs and choke the opposition. The pitch aids the batters once they are set in the middle. A score of 160-170 is needed batting first. Toss is not that big of a factor in Abu Dhabi as teams chasing and batting first have won here. India may want to bat first to test their batting.
The weather as usual will be hot and humid in Abu Dhabi. It feels more hot in Abu Dhabi than in Dubai. Temperatures will be soaring in the day, but will get better for the players at night. There could be dew factor but we are not very sure about it. The players will adjust to the conditions and play through the heat. It will be interesting to see what the captains do if they win the toss.
Predicted/Possible Playing XIS of both sides:
Here, we will try and predict the possible playing XIs of both sides.
India XI: Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh.
Oman XI: Aamir Kaleem, Jatinder Singh (c), Hammad Mirza, Aryan Bisht, Jiten Ramanandi, Vinayak Shukla (wk), Faisal Shah, Shakeel Ahmed, Hassnain Ali Shah, Samay Shrivastava, Wasim Ali.
Key Players to watch out for in this clash:
Shubman Gill: The current Indian vice-captain Shubman Gill will be hoping and aiming to get a good score on the board for his confidence going forward to the Super 4 stage. He hasn’t been required to do much as in the first game it was a paltry chase and then against Pakistan they were chasing 128. But he will be disappointed to get out for a cheap score against Pakistan. Gill will be hoping India bats first so that he can get ample batting practise and put on a show for everyone.
Kuldeep Yadav: Kuldeep Yadav has been on fire in Asia Cup 2025 and he will want to carry that on in this game as well. Kuldeep started his campaign with a 4-wicket haul against UAE and followed that up with another impressive performance getting 3 wickets against arch rivals Pakistan. Kuldeep has picked up 7 wickets this tournament in two matches and will hope he gets to play this game and doesn’t get benched as when you are in form and rhythm you want to continue playing. Kuldeep will be looking forward to playing Oman and do his best once again.
Jatinder Singh: Jatinder Singh who is the captain of this side has blown hot and cold this season. He has experience playing for Oman against other teams and has what it takes to lead the team from the front. Jatinder got a start in the last game but couldn’t carry on and much will depend on him to do well at the top of the order. Oman will want Jatinder firing on all cylinders and help the side do well and compete against the much fancied side in India.
Hammad Mirza: Batting at Number 3, Hammad Mirza is one of the mainstays of this Oman line-up. He will be expected to do well in this clash against India. Mirza has to play the situation and guide the innings forward for Oman to be competitive against India. He has shown glimpses of what he can do and have fared decently. But on Friday night, he will be expected to do well and guide Oman to one hopes a competitive total on the board.
Key Stats/Records that we may have to watch out for in this clash:
- Sanju Samson needs 1 six to complete 50 T20I sixes.
- Abhishek Sharma needs 4 sixes to complete 50 T20I sixes.
- Suryakumar Yadav needs 8 fours to complete 250 T20I fours and 2 sixes to complete 150 T20I sixes.
- Hardik Pandya who is on 95 wickets need 3 more wickets to overtake Yuzvendra Chahal who has 96 wickets to become India’s second highest wicket-taker in T20Is.
- Arshdeep Singh needs 1 wicket to complete 100 T20I wickets.
- Jatinder Singh needs 80 runs to complete 1500 T20I runs.
- Mohammad Nadeem needs 6 fours to complete 50 T20I fours.
- Aamir Kaleem needs 6 wickets to complete 50 T20I wickets.
Predicted/Possible Outcome of the Match.
This is one of the easiest games to predict as far as the winner goes. Yes, T20I is an unpredictable format and anything can happen on a given day. So, no team should be taken likely at all. But looking at current form and on paper as well, there is no doubt that India will start as overwhelming favourites to win this match and go unbeaten into the Super 4s. Oman will fight and will have to play out of their skins to push for a monumental upset.
Let’s see how things unfold as we are now a few hours away from the last league game of Asia Cup 2025 before the Super 4s kick in from tomorrow over the weekend. Let’s hope we get a good game in Abu Dhabi tonight.
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