‘Really enjoyed watching them bat’: Suryakumar Yadav praises Oman team

ABU DHABI: India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav lauded Oman’s spirited performance despite his side’s 21-run victory in the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 group-stage clash at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Friday.

Speaking during the post-match presentation, Yadav mixed humor with praise for the opposition.

“Definitely, I’ll try from the next game (joking about batting higher than No.11). Overall, I feel Oman played an unbelievable brand of cricket. I knew with their coach, Sulu sir (Sulakshan Kulkarni), there would be some khadoosness. It was amazing—I really enjoyed watching them bat,” he said.

Reflecting on India’s own performance, the skipper admitted that the hot and humid conditions made it challenging, especially for players waiting on the sidelines before being called into action.

“It’s a little difficult when you’re sitting and suddenly you come out and play (talking about Arshdeep and Harshit). It’s so humid here. Unfortunate how he got out, but you can’t keep him away from the game (on Hardik Pandya)—the way he bowled and the way he got out,” Yadav added.

Looking ahead to the highly anticipated Super Four clash against Pakistan in Dubai, the captain said: “All set for Super Fours (when asked about the Sunday clash).”

India capped off their group-stage campaign with a perfect record—three wins in three matches—topping Group A ahead of Pakistan. Their latest win against Oman, however, came after a stern fight from the associate nation.

Batting first, India posted 188-8 in their 20 overs. Sanju Samson anchored the innings with a well-made 56 off 45 deliveries, which included three fours and as many sixes. 

Abhishek Sharma provided a fiery start, smashing 38 off just 15 balls with five fours and two sixes. Contributions from Tilak Varma (29) and Axar Patel (26) further boosted India’s total.

Oman’s batting unit responded bravely, but despite their efforts, they fell short, finishing at 167-4 in 20 overs. Skipper Jatinder Singh scored 32 off 33, while Aamir Kaleem and Hammad Mirza stole the spotlight with superb half-centuries.

Kaleem top-scored with a fluent 64 off 46 balls, striking seven boundaries and two sixes. Mirza added 51 from 33 deliveries, including five fours and two sixes, while Jiten Ramanandi chipped in with a quick 12 off five balls.

For India, wickets were shared evenly, with Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, and Kuldeep Yadav picking up one apiece.

The Asia Cup Super Four lineup is now set following Sri Lanka’s six-wicket win over Afghanistan on Wednesday, which ended Afghanistan’s campaign and paved the way for Bangladesh’s qualification.

In Group B, Sri Lanka finished unbeaten with three wins out of three, collecting six points and boasting a net run rate of 1.278. Bangladesh secured second place with four points despite a negative NRR of -0.270.

From Group A, both India and Pakistan confirmed their progression earlier, with Oman and Afghanistan bowing out.

The Super Four stage begins on Saturday in Dubai, where Sri Lanka will take on Bangladesh. The blockbuster clash between Pakistan and India is scheduled for Sunday at the same venue. 

After a rest day on Monday, the action resumes with Pakistan facing Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi on September 23.