@Kuldeep Yadav celebrates after taking a wicket vs UAE at Dubai 2025
India started its Men's T20 Asia Cup title defense on September 10, 2025 with a resounding nine-wicket win against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the 2nd match of Group A at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The lights match saw the ability of India in cricketing as they demolished UAE and only took 106 balls to beat them, which is the lowest total that India defends in T20Is, and the fastest they have chased. The report of 800 words takes a deeper analysis into the important moments of the match, the brightest moments of the match, and the context of the match in the tournament.
The Batting Collapse of UAE: A Record Low
With the first swing, UAE after the victory on the toss was pressed by the disciplined bowling attack of India. They were reduced to an unimaginable 57 runs in 12.1 overs that was the minimum score ever achieved against India in T20 Internation games. The Indian bowlers who were led by Kuldeep Yadav and Shivam Dube capitalized on the conditions well, and the UAE batsmen had a hard time countering the pace, swings and spin at their disposal.
Kuldeep Yadav, who had not competed against other players in a long time, having spent most of his time on the bench on the India tour of England was the most impressive player and had won the position, the Player of the Match award. He was unable to play with his left-arm wrist-spin which he had only taken four wickets in his spell of seven runs. Kuldeep eyed variations such as turning leg-breaks and misleading googlies to confuse the batting line-up of the UAE. The most notable dismissals were the best scorer of the UAE (Alishan Sharafu (22 run)) whose small defence was broken by being trapped by a skidding googly.
Shivam Dube backed the spinning performance of Kuldeep with his medium pace bowling where he took three wickets at four runs. Early achievements made by Dube such as the dismissals of the UAE openers heralded the supremacy of India. His skill to make bounces and movement out of the Dubai pitch revealed the technical weakness of UAE.
The rest of wickets was distributed among other bowlers of India and with such close lines and lengths no UAE batsman could settle. Its innings was completed in 79 balls only which emphasized the difference in class between the two partiesTheir 57 all out = was much better than their own 73 out of 73 against India in the 2016 Asia Cup which highlights how they are not doing too well when it comes to playing against the best competition. UAE batting unit could not cope with fierce attack of India, even after recent promising performances in a T20I tri-series against Pakistan and Afghanistan.
India' Lightning Chase: A World Record Finish
India, after walking a small 58, took 4.3 overs (27 balls) to complete the task and this marked their fastest T20I chase ever. The opening two Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, who are best friends on and off the field, and long-term teammates offered a clinical opening performance, and there was no drama in the chase. Bowlers of the UAE had no response to their violent intention and the skill of playing the strokes fluently.
It was topped by an unbeaten 30 by Abhishek Sharma off 14 balls, and typical of his flair. His at bats were a lot of scurry scramble boundaries, clean, sharp cover drives and drives that flew over the infield with a single swing. Shubman Gill, never beaten on 20 of 13, was a supporting player, anchorage of the chase by grace of elastic drives and right placements. The 60-run opening partnership between the two continued to the last and India lost only one wicket, a small hiccup, when a confusion resulted in a run-out.
The pursuit was an unusual contrast to the UAE trudging batting. The opening of India was taking advantage of loose deliveries and the target was not in question. This 2.3-over win not only ensured that India won decisively but had its net run rate increase which is a key element in the tightly fought Group A, which also incorporates Pakistan and Oman.
Key Performance and Strategic lessons:
The ability and strength of Kuldeep Yadav was reflected in his match-defining spell. Having been warmed up in England, he took his chance, and exploited the grip of the Dubai pitch, so disastrously. His four wickets were important scalps of the middle order, which shattered the backbone of UAE. Three wickets by Dube, in the meantime, brought to light the increasing value of the latter as a bowling all-rounder, and provided captain Rohit Sharma with the option of a flexible resource.
The move to have Abhishek and Gill as the starting with players in India was indeed a payoff as it was an indication that they had transitioned towards the youth and aggression in their T20 set-up. The two singers had a communication that had been developed over the years playing together and this was reflected in their smooth collaboration. In the case of UAE, the solitary good performance of Alishan Sharafu (22) came as a beacon of hope yet their weakness in dealing with quality bowling became evident. Devoid of the speed and subtlety needed to put the Indian batters to the test, UAE bowlers could not pressure and let the chase unfold without any obstruction.
Context and Implications:
This game was the beginning of the campaign by India to win their Asia Cup title as they had won the Asian cup in 2023. The resounding victory also came as a stern reminder to the competitors, especially Pakistan, whom India were about to confront on September 14. The T20I tri-series that UAE hosted before the Asia cup had induced optimism of a competitive performance but the dominance of India highlighted the obstacles that associate nations experience against cricketing powerhouses.To India the game was an ideal beginning, with seasoned players such as Kuldeep, and newcomers such as Abhishek and Gill. The team has been able to finish the game within the shortest time possible to save the energy of the players in UAE heat as match start times have been set at 6:30 PM local time to counter the situation. The win also emphasised the depth of India, as the players rose to the occasion even at a time when they had been out of the playing XI.
Looking Ahead:
The Group A will test India further as the next challenge but Pakistan and Oman will provide a different dynamic. In the case of UAE, the loss reveals the areas of improvement especially in the management of high-quality spin and pace. The Asia Cup, which will be held in the UAE as a logistical choice, will remain a stage on which associate countries will be able to be noticed, yet UAE will require reorganizing on a short notice to compete in the remaining matches.
To sum-up, the nine-wicket dismantling of UAE by India on September 10, 2025, was an assertion of purpose. The wizardry of Kuldeep Yadav, incisiveness of Dube and the red-letter opening by Abhishek and Gill was a guarantee of record performance. This match as India stride ahead in the tournament will be recalled as a clinical performance of their T20 superiority as they defend their title.
Brief scores: United Arab Emirates 57 all out in 13.1 overs (Alishan Sharafu 22; Kuldeep Yadav 4/7, Shivam Dube 3/4) lost to India 60/1 in 4.3 overs (Abhishek Sharma 30, Shubman Gill 20*) by 9 wickets.