India completed a clean sweep of Group A with a clinical 21-run win over Oman on Friday. Oman came close to handing India a scare, but Suryakumar Yadav’s side held their nerve to cross the final hurdle. Sanju Samson top scored for India, while Arshdeep Singh found himself in the record books in India’s 250th T20i match.
India won the toss and opted to bat first, hoping to give their fringe players some game time. Sanju Samson, promoted to No.3 scored a half century as India put on 188. In response, Aamir Kaleem and Hammad Mirza scored fifties to keep Oman in the hunt, before some falling short. Here Insidesport.In looks at the IND vs OMAN Highlights:
Shubman Gill’s Asia Cup struggles continue
Shubman Gill was dimissed in both of India’s games failing to convert his starts. While Abhishek Sharma has set the tournament alight, Gill has struggled to match up on his return to the side. With qualification secured and a battle against minnows Oman, the expectation was that the Indian vice-captain makes the most of the chance. However, the 26-year-old lasted all but 8 deliveries. Gill scored 5 before being clean bowled by an asolute peach by Shah Faisal. The left-arm seamer got the ball to move around deviously, accounting for the gap between Gill’s bat and pad.
Sanju Samson hadn’t gotten a chance to bat in India’s first two matches at the Asia Cup. On Friday, he was all over the place against the swinging ball. Shah Faisal bowled 9 balls at him in the powerplay, and the wicketkeeper managed to score just 6 runs. By the end of the powerplay, Samson was at 13 (14). On the other end, Abhishek Sharma had already scored 38 (14). He scored 56 runs from 45 balls, with 15 dot balls. While he struggled for fluency, Samson’s lack of intent was also noticeable.
Century for Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep Singh has become the first Indian bowler to take 100 wickets in T20I cricket. The left-arm who made his debut in November 2022, has reached the triple-digit mark in less than 3 years. By taking the wicket of Vinayak Shukla in the last over of the India vs Oman match in the Asia Cup, Arshdeep got into history books. The 26-year-old is the fourth fastest bowler to claim 100 wickets, behind Wanindu Hasaranga, Sandeep Lamichhane, and Rashid Khan. Among pacers, no one has reached triple figures quicker than the left-arm pacer.
Suryakumar Yadav says no to batting
Suryakumar Yadav did not come out to bat despite India losing 8 wickets in their clash against Oman. The Indian captain wanted to give opportunities to the other players in the XI, and opted against turning up to the crease. Surya usually bats higher up the order and batted in both wins against UAE and Pakistan. On Friday, he wanted the likes of Sanju Samson and Hardik Pandya to have a go, and the move paid dividends with a crunch Super 4 tie against Pakistan on the horizon.
Bumrah rested and India struggle
India opted to rest both Varun Chakravarthy and Jasprit Bumrah for the dead rubber clash against Oman. It was a decision India almost regretted after a resolute performance from the Oman side. Aamir Kaleem and Hammad Mirza scored half-centuries in a stunning 93-run partnership to keep the Associate nation in play. India failed to strike in the powerplay for the first time in 14 T20Is. Arshdeep and Harshit Rana were both off rhythm, making Bumrah all the more crucial to India’s Asia Cup 2025 chances.
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