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Asia Cup 2025: Kuldeep bags four as India demolish UAE in 17.4 overs
It took just 106 balls for India to begin their defence of the Asia Cup with the most comprehensive of wins. It took them just 79 balls to bowl UAE out, and just 27 to chase down their target.
UAE’s 57 was the lowest total any team had achieved against India in T20Is. India’s 4.3-over chase was their quickest in T20Is.
UAE came into this match on the back of encouraging displays against Pakistan and Afghanistan in the tri-series they recently hosted, but all that promise came to nothing against the relentless quality of India’s bowling, with Kuldeep Yadav taking four wickets in no time to celebrate his return to action after a long tour of England spent entirely on the bench.
Thereafter, it was just a question of how quickly India would get to their target, and the answer – mostly delivered by their new opening combination of old buddies Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill – was a one-worder: very.
A lot of interest surrounded India’s selection for this game, with particularly intense debate surrounding their wicketkeeper, bowling-attack composition, and No. 8. These were India’s choices:
Gill displaced Sanju Samson from the opening position as expected, but Samson kept the keeping gloves ahead of Jitesh Sharma. India picked both their wristspinners, Kuldeep and Varun Chakravarthy, and picked the batting allrounder Shivam Dube to give them genuine depth until No. 8, but this meant they only had one specialist quick in Jasprit Bumrah.
Some of these choices were surprises. The bigger surprise, perhaps, was that India won the toss – after 15 straight toss losses across formats.
For the first time since 2019, Bumrah bowled three overs inside the powerplay in a T20I. He took one wicket, crashing through Alishan Sharafu’s defences with a searing yorker, but also conceded four fours, three in one over to UAE captain Muhammad Waseem.
With Sharafu and Waseem hitting six fours and a six between them, UAE began well enough, scoring 41 for 2 in their powerplay. But they fell apart thereafter, losing their last eight wickets for the addition of just ten runs.
To their credit, UAE did not let the loss of two powerplay wickets curb their intent, but on this day they kept losing wickets to low-percentage shots. And they kept losing wickets to Kuldeep in the ninth over – three of them, to be precise.
First, Rahul Chopra took on the large outfield at the Dubai International Stadium and the protected long-on boundary and holed out. Three balls later, Waseem was lbw, missing a sweep against a bowler whose stock ball, straightening into the right-hander from left-arm over, is stump-to-stump by design.
Kuldeep finished the over with a trademark wrong’un to bowl the left-handed Harshit Kaushik through the gate, and UAE were already five down.
India used six bowlers, and five of them ended up on the wickets column, with Bumrah – who bowled three overs in the powerplay, a rarity for him – Varun and Axar Patel taking one each.
Dube, playing ahead of a second frontline quick to give India batting depth until No. 8, bagged three with his medium-pace, which meant he had taken 5 for 15 in four overs in his last two T20Is. His first two T20Is, it has to be mentioned, since his bowling quality came under severe scrutiny following India’s use of Harshit Rana as his concussion substitute against England in Pune.
Here, Dube couldn’t help but pick up wickets even when India didn’t want them. In his second over, a direct hit from Samson caught Junaid Siddique wandering out of his crease – a la Jonny Bairstow – after swinging at and missing a short ball. Siddique was given out stumped but India captain Suryakumar Yadav withdrew the appeal. Next ball, Siddique swung at and miscued a slower ball high in the air, and walked back, c Suryakumar b Dube.
They’ve been fast friends since the Under-14 level and might have been forgiven for wanting to take a bit of time savouring the feeling of opening together for India, but that was the last thing on the minds of Abhishek and Gill. They clattered 48 runs in just 3.4 overs before Abhishek fell, miscuing a hard-length ball from Siddique, and in that time they played a number of outrageous shots. The pick of them, perhaps, were a dancing flick for six by Gill off Mohammad Rohid, and a falling-away slap over long-off by Abhishek, off a short-of-length dart from the offspinner Kaushik.
India were ten away from victory when Abhishek fell, and Suryakumar – whipping his first ball off his hip for six – and Gill took just four balls to finish the job.
Brief scores:
India 60 for 1 in 4.3 overs (Abhishek Sharma 30, Shubman Gill 20*; Junnaid Siddique 1-16) beat UAE 57 in 13.1 overs (Alishan Sharafu 22, Muhammad Waseem 19; Jasprit Bumrah 1-19, Axar Patel 1-13, Varun Chakravarthy 1-04, Kuldeep Yadav 4-07, Shivam Dube 3-04) by nine wickets
[Cricinfo]
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Level III landslide warnings issued to the Districts of Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala and Matale extended
The Level III RED landslide early warnings issued to the Districts of Kandy, Kegalle, Kurunegala and Matale by the Landslide Early Warning Center of the National Building Research Organisation [NBRO] have been extended until 1600hrs tomorrow [10th December 2025].
Accordingly,
The LEVEL III RED landslide early warnings issued to the Divisional Secretaries Division and surrounding areas of Panvila, Udapalatha, Minipe, Poojapitiya, Gangawata Korale, Thumpane, Doluwa, Pathadumbara, Ganga Ihala Korale, Harispattuwa, Akurana, Ududumbara, Pathahewaheta, Hatharaliyadda, Yatinuwara, Deltota, Medadumbara, Udunuwara, Kundasale and Pasbage Korale in the Kandy district, Yatiyanthota, Rambukkana, Aranayaka, Warakapola, Galigamuwa, Mawanella and Bulathkohupitiya in the Kegalle district, Mallawapitiya, Rideegama and Mawathagama in the Kurunegala district, and Ukuwela, Pallepola, Rattota, Matale, Laggala Pallegama, Yatawatta, Naula, Ambanganga Korale and Wilgamuwa in the Matale district have been extended.
LEVEL II AMBER landslide early warnings issued to the Divisional Secretaries Division and surrounding areas of Uva Paranagama, Hali_Ela, Meegahakivula, Badulla, Kandeketiya, Bandarawela, Soranathota, Ella, Haputhale, Lunugala, Welimada, Haldummulla and Passara in the Badulla district, Ruwanwella, Dehiowita, Kegalle and Deraniyagala in the Kegalle district, Alawwa and Polgahawela in the Kurunegala district and Nuwara Eliya, Nildandahinna, Thalawakele, Kothmale West, Mathurata, Ambagamuwa Korale, Hanguranketha, Walapane, Kothmale East and Norwood in the Nuwara Eliya district, and Kahawaththa, Kolonna and Godakawela in the Ratnapura district have also been extended.
LEVEL I YELLOW landslide early warnings issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Mirigama, Divulapitiya and Attanagalla in the Gampaha district, Narammala in the Kurunegala district, and Kiriella, Balangoda, Kuruwita, Openayake, Nivithigala, Kaltota, Pelmadulla, Kalawana, Eheliyagoda, Elapatha, Ayagama, Imbulpe and Ratnapura in the Ratnapura district.
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The Situation Report issued by the Disaster Management Center at 06:00 AM today [09th December] confirms that 635 persons have died due to floods and landslides that took place in the country within the past two weeks. The number of persons that are missing is 192.
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