The first match of India in the Asia Cup alongside UAE was nothing less than a visual treat for Indian fans. The 30-year-old spinner Kuldeep dominated the match with four wickets and crushed the UAE side for 57 all out in 13.1 overs, losing by nine wickets.

A very small target was set by the UAE team, which was easily chased by the Men in Blue in just 4.3 overs. Giving a kick-start, Abhishek Sharma made a quick 30 off 16 balls, and the winning runs were scored by Shubman Gill.

Powerplay twist

Fans were overwhelmed with a great start by UAE opener Alishan Sharafu, who launched an attack with three boundaries and a six. The first over was bowled by Hardik, followed by Bumrah and then Axar Patel. The breathtaking shot was when Sharafu played an inside-out drive and smashed a six. The game took a twist when Kuldeep was introduced, and before the end of the powerplay, the UAE team lost control over the game.

Six bowlers, 5 picked wickets

Even though UAE lost 2 wickets in the powerplay, they kept up the aggressive approach, but that intent didn’t work for them as the batsmen continued to take wrong decisions and play risky shots. Sensing the situation, Kuldeep Yadav capitalized ruthlessly in the ninth over and took three wickets in quick succession.

The over was wrapped up in style by Kuldeep with his classic wrong’un that beat left-hander Harshit Kaushik. By this time, UAE was already down to five wickets. India used six bowlers in the match, and five of them picked up wickets.

Remarkable partnership of Abhishek and Gill

Abhishek and Gill were the two batsmen who managed to chase down the target given by UAE. These two players have been very good friends since they played at the Under-14 level. The duo chased the target easily, and by the end of 3.4 overs, they had made 48 runs. During this partnership, they played some audacious shots, like Gill’s dancing flick for six and Abhishek’s falling-away slap over long-off.

When Abhishek was out, India needed just 10 runs to win. This was effortlessly chased by the partnership of Surya kumar Yadav, who joined Gill. Yadav sent his first delivery for a smashing six with a powerful hip shot, and the duo managed to close the match in just four more balls.

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