UAE Determined to Execute Plans Against India in Asia Cup 2025

DUBAI: As the UAE gears up to face defending champions India in their Asia Cup 2025 opener this Wednesday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, team captain Muhammad Waseem has voiced his assurance.

In a recent statement, Waseem highlighted that the team’s primary concern is to implement their strategies effectively, rather than being overawed by the reputation of the Indian side.

“We aren’t considering this as just another big game because every team is formidable, making each match equally demanding. We’re training rigorously in the hot conditions and will adhere to our established plans. We are committed to applying what we’ve learned and executing our strategies on the field. The outcome will depend on our performance during the game,” Waseem stated.

The right-handed batsman also mentioned that the team hasn’t specifically targeted any individual Indian bowler.

Instead, they have developed tactics for six to seven batsmen in the Indian lineup, showing respect for key bowlers while aiming to take an aggressive stance against others.

“We haven’t created specific plans for individual players. We’ve developed strategies for multiple batsmen in their squad. We intend to play cautiously against their leading wicket-takers and adopt an aggressive approach whenever possible. Spinners could play a crucial role, depending on the match situation,” he added.

The 29-year-old captain further emphasized the team’s familiarity with the local conditions and their confidence in leveraging their home advantage.

“We have extensive experience playing here. While India and Pakistan also frequently play in these conditions, this is our home turf. We will make every effort to capitalize on this advantage and deliver strong cricket,” he concluded.

Notably, India and the UAE have only clashed once in T20I cricket, with India clinching a nine-wicket victory in the 2016 Asia Cup held in Mirpur.

UAE Squad: Muhammad Waseem (captain), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Asif Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Ethan D’Souza, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Matiullah Khan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra (wicketkeeper), Rohid Khan, Simranjeet Singh, Saghir Khan.

India Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.