Oman punched above their weight in the final group game of the 2025 Asia Cup, losing by just 21 runs against a rampant Indian team at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday, September 19. While Oman will end their Asia Cup campaign without a win, they will take a lot of positives from their performance against the defending champions.
After winning the toss and opting to bat first, India lost their vice-captain, Shubman Gill, in the second over. Abhishek Sharma, however, played another brisk cameo, smashing 38 off just 15 balls. Oman kept taking wickets through the middle overs, but Sanju Samson, promoted to No. 3, held the innings together with a patient half-century. Axar Patel and Tilak Varma played dazzling cameos to help the Men in Blue finish on 188/8 in 20 overs.
In reply, Oman openers Jatinder Singh and Aamir Kaleem got their team off to a sedate start. They added 56 runs inside nine overs. After Jatinder was dismissed for a 33-ball 32, Hammad Mirza joined forces with Kaleem.
The duo added 93 runs off just 55 balls in a partnership that instilled hope in the hearts of the Oman faithful. However, the power hitting needed in the back end of the innings was missing from the Oman batters. While Kaleem and Mirza struck half-centuries, they were eventually restricted to 167/4 in their 20 overs.
Key moments from IND vs OMN, Match 12 of Asia Cup 2025:
1. Sanju Samson anchors innings with a gritty fifty
Sanju Samson got his first opportunity to bat in the ongoing Asia Cup, and he made it count. The Kerala wicketkeeper-batter was sent in at No. 3, and he had his problems dealing with the sluggish nature of the surface. However, with India losing wickets through the middle overs, his 45-ball 56 turned out to be useful as he anchored the innings, allowing the likes of Tilak Varma and Axar Patel to play blistering cameos.
11:41 PM · Sep 19, 2025
2. 43-year-old Aamir Kaleem top-scores with half-century
Aamir Kaleem, who turns 44 years old in a couple of months, gave Oman hopes of registering a historic win. He opened the batting and scored 64 off just 46 balls, hitting seven fours and two sixes. The left-handed batter became the oldest to score a 50-plus against a full-member nation.
12:08 AM · Sep 20, 2025
3. Hardik Pandya takes a blinder at a crucial stage
It took a brilliant piece of fielding from Hardik Pandya to end Aamir Kaleem’s exemplary knock. The southpaw helped a delivery on the leg-side away towards the fine-leg boundary. Hardik had to cover a lot of ground towards his right. The ball was travelling, but the Choryasi-born timed his run to perfection and grabbed the ball with both hands and maintained his balance, not stepping onto the boundary rope. Oman were in the game before this dismissal, requiring 40 runs off 15 balls, with nine wickets in hand.
11:57 PM · Sep 19, 2025
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