Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav might have put himself in contention for the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award after a remarkable display of sportsmanship during India’s Asia Cup 2025 opener against the UAE in Dubai on Wednesday, September 10.
The incident occurred in the 13th over of the first innings when UAE batter Junaid Siddique was stumped after stepping out of his crease in response to a sharp bouncer from Shivam Dube. Siddique was distracted and signaling something to the umpire and failed to return to the crease as wicketkeeper Sanju Samson quickly threw the ball at the stumps and appealed.
Replays confirmed Siddique was out of his crease, and the big screen displayed the decision. However, even as Siddique lingered at the crease, Suryakumar engaged in a quiet discussion with the umpire. Moments later, it was revealed that India had withdrawn the appeal, allowing Siddique to continue his innings.
The gesture came after India noticed that Siddique’s lapse occurred when Dube’s towel slipped during his run-up, diverting the batter’s attention. While India was fully entitled to pursue the dismissal, Suryakumar chose the higher ground by recalling the batter.
09:36 PM · Sep 10, 2025
Ironically, Siddique failed to make the most of his reprieve, falling later in the same over to another short delivery from Dube. From there, India’s bowlers dominated. UAE were bundled out for just 57 runs in 13.1 overs. Dube impressed with three wickets in a fiery two-over spell, while Kuldeep Yadav starred with four wickets, including three in a single over, including the prized scalp of UAE skipper Muhammad Waseem (19 off 22).
There was also a welcome sight for India fans as Jasprit Bumrah, playing his first T20I since the previous year’s World Cup, picked up a wicket on return. In the end, India chased down the paltry target in 4.3 overs and won the match by nine wickets as Kuldeep was awarded the Player of the Match. India will face their arch-rivals Pakistan as their next assignment while UAE will play Oman.
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