Kuldeep excels as ‘clinical’ India decisively defeats UAE in Asia Cup T20.

Kuldeep Yadav recorded figures of 4-7, propelling defending champions India to a decisive nine-wicket victory against hosts United Arab Emirates in their opening match of the Asia Cup on Wednesday.

Kuldeep claimed three wickets in a single over with his left-arm wrist spin as tournament favorites India dismissed UAE for a meager 57 runs in 13.1 overs after choosing to field first in the T20 match in Dubai.

India secured victory in 4.3 overs, with left-handed opener Abhishek Sharma scoring 30 runs off 16 balls and vice-captain Shubman Gill remaining not out on 20.

The bowlers orchestrated the triumph for the defending T20 World Cup champions, with medium-pacer Shivam Dube securing three wickets before Kuldeep concluded the innings.

“The boys exhibited commendable clinical performance,” stated captain Suryakumar Yadav. “Sought positive energy and attitude in the field, which translated into batting performance.”

Batting first, UAE opener Alishan Sharafu commenced energetically with boundaries before being dismissed by pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah for 22 runs off 17 balls.

Captain Muhammad Waseem scored 19, being the sole batsman to achieve double digits in an otherwise dismal performance by the remainder of the team.

Kuldeep’s three wickets, including that of Waseem, in his second over destabilized the opposition’s batting, leading to its rapid collapse.

Most Valuable Player Kuldeep adjusted his length and pace effectively in his initial T20 appearance for India since the World Cup victory in Barbados last year, stating that everything went “perfect” upon his comeback.

Chasing a goal of 58, world number one T20 batsman Sharma used an aggressive approach, striking left-arm spinner Haider Ali for a six and a four.

He struck two additional sixes in his onslaught before getting dismissed by fast bowler Junaid Siddique.

Gill concluded the pursuit with a boundary while Suryakumar, not out on seven, observed from the opposite end.

Waseem stated, “India is an exceptional team and is performing admirably in bowling.”

They implemented their strategy with each batter. Consequently, they are the premier team. As a team, we must return more resilient and derive lessons from these errors.

India secured victory in the most recent Asia Cup, conducted in a 50-over format in 2023, by defeating the host nation, Sri Lanka, in the final held in Colombo.

India will confront Pakistan on Sunday in the most eagerly awaited encounter of the T20 tournament, which acts as a preparatory event for next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.