The Asia Cup 2025 opener turned into a nightmare for hosts United Arab Emirates, as they were blown away by India for just 57 runs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. This total now stands as the lowest-ever T20I score against India, beating New Zealand’s previous record of 66 all out set in Ahmedabad in 2023.
UAE Collapse After Promising Start
After being put in to bat first, UAE actually started off looking decent. At 26/0 in the fourth over, things were going smoothly. But all it took was one Jasprit Bumrah yorker to change everything.
Bumrah’s pinpoint delivery knocked over Alishan Sharafu, who had looked solid with 22 off 17 balls, including three boundaries and a six. From there, it was a dramatic collapse. The rest of the batters couldn’t handle India’s world-class bowling attack and fell one after another like dominoes.
Captain Muhammad Waseem was the only other batter to put up any resistance, scoring 19. No other player reached double digits.
Kuldeep Runs Riot
India’s Kuldeep Yadav was simply too good for UAE’s batters. After sitting out all five Tests in the UK earlier this year, the left-arm spinner returned with a bang, finishing with stunning figures of 4/7 in just 2.1 overs.
He got the ball to turn sharply, and the UAE lineup had no answers.
The Indian spin trio — Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy (1/4 in 2 overs), and Axar Patel (1/13 in 3 overs) — proved far too tricky for UAE’s batters, who rarely get to face such quality spin in international cricket.
A Record UAE Won’t Want to Remember
This horror show with the bat means UAE now holds the record for the lowest T20I total against India, overtaking the 66 all out by New Zealand in 2023.
Back then, it was Shubman Gill’s unbeaten 126 and Hardik Pandya’s 4-wicket haul that handed India a dominant win. This time, it was a collective bowling effort, led by Kuldeep, that caused UAE’s downfall.
