Skipper Suryakumar Yadav efficiently utilised the available resources in both the batting and bowling departments, enabling India to secure a 21-run victory over a determined Oman, thus concluding their league stage in the Asia Cup with three consecutive wins. Within 48 hours, India is set to face Pakistan again in the Super 4s in Dubai. Before that, the Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav wisely chose to give his other 10 teammates some time in the middle, while Suryakumar Yadav batted at number 11.
India set a challenging target of 189 for Oman, who were playing against the T20 World Champions for the first time. Despite the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy, the Indian bowling attack managed to contain Oman, restricting them to 167 for 4 in 20 overs during the final overs.
In batting, Sanju Samson (56) scored a half-century, while Axar Patel (26 off 13 balls) and opener Abhishek Sharma (38 off 15 balls) maintained a 200-plus strike rate. Tilak Varma (29 off 18 balls) also contributed while batting at an unfamiliar No.7 position. However, Hardik Pandya (1), who needed batting practice, was run out by his former Baroda club-cricket teammate Jiten Ramanandi, and vice-captain Shubman Gill (5 off 8 balls) struggled during his brief innings.
In bowling, Suryakumar Yadav had the luxury of using eight options to keep everyone match-ready, knowing that a target of 189 would be a tough challenge for Oman.The two new inclusions in the playing eleven, Harshit Rana (1/25 in 3 overs) and Arshdeep Singh (1/37), appeared short on game time despite having played North Zone’s only Duleep Trophy game this season.
Kuldeep Yadav (1/23 in 3 overs) stood out as usual. Arshdeep, who is unlikely to play against Pakistan, completed 100 wickets, becoming the first Indian to reach this milestone. For Oman, skipper Jatinder Singh (32 off 33 balls), fellow opener Aamir Kaleem (64 off 46 balls) and Hammad Mirza (51 off 34 balls) showed resistance but it wasn’t enough to achieve a famous win.
Looking at the bigger picture, it provided Suryakumar Yadav with insights on his resources for the crucial stages of the tournament. The biggest gain was Samson, who scored some runs, though there is no assurance he will bat at No.3 against Pakistan.
With vice-captain Gill getting out cheaply, Samson was given the opportunity to bat in the top 3. His innings on a slightly slow track was not entirely smooth, but three fours and three sixes off 45 balls should boost his confidence ahead of the important matches. Among his big hits, the first maximum off left-arm seamer Shah Faisal, a pick-up shot over widish long-on, stood out.
However, his lack of match time was evident as he struggled to get going. Sunil Gavaskar while praising Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav for his unusual tactics said that Suryakumar Yadav would have realised that he had enough batting practice against Pakistan, where he remained unbeaten on 47.
Sunil Gavaskar praises Suryakumar Yadav’s tactic to demote him to No 11 vs Oman
India captain Suryakumar Yadav once again courted mixed opinions among experts and on social media after not walking out to bat during India’s final league stage match against Oman in Abu Dhabi on Friday evening. Having secured qualification for the Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 stage comfortably, India opted to rotate their batting order to give more game time to the lower-order players, with Suryakumar surprisingly demoting himself all the way to No. 11.
India finished on 188 for eight batting first, with the captain deciding to remain seated on the sidelines as Kuldeep Yadav and Harshit Rana shared the last partnership on the field. Despite the criticisms, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar lauded Suryakumar Yadav for his unconventional and pragmatic captaincy after the game that India held onto by a margin of only 12 runs.
Batting great Sunil Gavaskar gave his honest take on Suryakumar Yadav’s not batting in the dead-rubber against Oman in the Asia Cup 2025 group stage. The legendary batter lauded Surya’s innovative mindset, pointing to past instances where his unconventional approach as captain had also stood out. The Indian skipper decided to stay on the sidelines against Oman, allowing other batters to spend time in the middle and gain match practice, even as the team went eight down in Dubai.
Meanwhile, India’s batting performance wasn’t up to their usual standards as they failed to cross the 200-run mark and posted 188/9 in 20 overs. Sanju Samson was the highest run-getter with 56 off 45 balls, while Abhishek Sharma (38), Axar Patel (26) and Tilak Varma (29) also made important contributions. Gavaskar said that Suryakumar Yadav would have realised that he had enough batting practice against Pakistan, where he remained unbeaten on 47.
“If he had batted for even one over, he could have hit a few fours and sixes and that would have been good for him. But the way he batted against Pakistan, may be does not need batting practice. He may have thought that Kuldeep Yadav’s batting could come in handy if India lose quick wickets in one of the matches. Perhaps that’s why he may have sent Kuldeep in to bat,” Gavaskar said on Sony Sports.
The batting great further hailed Suryakumar Yadav’s unconventional leadership style, recalling how his gutsy decisions turned games in India’s favour against Sri Lanka last year when he bowled himself and Rinku Singh in the death overs. He also suggested that the same mindset influenced Surya’s decision not to bat against Oman.
“He is very unorthodox thinker. We saw in Sri Lanka that he himself bowled and also gave Rinku Singh the ball. He turned the game, which seemed to have slipped away, on its head and won India the match. He is an innovative thinker. May be that’s why he did not bat and sent in Kuldeep and Arshdeep Singh,” Gavaskar added.
India are set to head back to Dubai for their Super Four showdown, where they will lock horns with arch-rivals Pakistan in a much-anticipated clash.
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