 "India captain Suryakumar Yadav decided to withdraw his appeal after UAE's Junaid Siddique was caught short of his crease thanks to Sanju Samson's presence of mind. Image credit: Screengrab/SonyLIV")
Team India began the 2025 Men’s Asia Cup with a solid statement – at least in the bowling department – after opting to field against UAE in Dubai on Wednesday . Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav led the way with a haul of 4/7 while all-rounder Shivam Dube collected three wickets for just four runs as the UAE were bundled out for just 57, with openers Alishan Sharafu and captain Muhammad Waseem being the only batters to enter double digits.
LIVE | India vs UAE, Asia Cup 2025, Match 2 in Dubai
Besides the Men in Blue and their ruthlessness, the first half of the second match of the tournament also had some interesting moments. For starters, India managed to win a toss for the first time in 16 matches across formats, with luck siding with Suryakumar Yadav as he flipped the coin at the toss.
Why the run-out appeal against Siddique was withdrawn
Another interesting moment during the UAE innings occurred during the 13th over, in which Shivam Dube struck twice while conceding just three runs to reduce the hosts to 57/9.
The Chennai Super Kings all-rounder had nearly collected a wicket in the third delivery in which Junaid Siddique was caught marginally short of his crease at the striker’s end, courtesy a throw by an alert Sanju Samson behind the wickets.
Siddique had swung his bat at a short delivery, and his feet were marginally outside the crease after the miss. An alert Samson, who has been included in the Indian playing XI as a wicketkeeper in the middle order, spotted it and promptly hit the stumps with an accurate throw.
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Impact Shorts
More ShortsSiddique, however, did not make the walk back to the dugout right away – thanks to a towel slipping out of Dube’s trousers that might have distracted the batter. Even as the giant screen at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium delivered verdict “Out”, India skipper Surya walked up to the umpire and opted to withdraw the appeal.
The missed opportunity, however, hardly mattered in the end, with the UAE getting bundled out in a space of just four deliveries.