Finance
India’s 21-run victory over Oman at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Thursday night featured a gritty half-century from Sanju Samson (56 off 45) and a historic milestone for Arshdeep Singh, who became the first Indian men’s cricketer to claim 100 T20I wickets.
After reaching 188/8, their third-highest total against an Associate nation in T20Is, India faced a stern fight from Oman, who fought valiantly with the bat. Skipper Jatinder Singh (32 off 33) and Aamir Kaleem got them off to a good start, scoring 44 runs in the Power Play and pushing the score to 56 before Kuldeep Yadav broke the partnership in the ninth over.
Kaleem then put together a 93-run partnership with Hammad Mirza to frustrate the Indian onslaught. Kaleem reached fifty from 38 balls before falling for 64 from 46 in the 18th over while attempting to accelerate the scoring.
Mirza, too, played a counterattacking role, reaching fifty in just 30 balls before falling to Hardik Pandya in the last over. Despite a flurry of boundaries from Jiten Ramanandi in the last over, Oman fell short at 167/4, giving India a 21-run victory.
India’s bowlers had to work hard on a flat pitch, with Hardik finishing with 1-26, Kuldeep with 1-23 in three overs, and Harshit Rana returning 1-25 with decent pace.The defining moment came in the final over when Arshdeep Singh, entrusted with closing out the game, not only sealed victory but also claimed his 100th T20I wicket — moving clear at the top of India’s all-time wicket-takers’ list.
Earlier, Samson anchored India’s innings after an explosive start by Abhishek Sharma, who smashed 38 off just 15 balls in the Power-play. India had been jolted early when vice-captain Shubman Gill was bowled by Faisal Shah for 5 in the second over, but Abhishek’s fireworks kept the momentum going until Ramanandi provided the breakthrough. A surprise promotion for Hardik Pandya ended in heartbreak as he was run out for just one after a straight drive from Samson deflected off Ramanandi’s fingertips.
Samson had assistance from Axar Patel, who responded with a quick 26 off 13, and the pair added 45 runs off 23 deliveries. But wickets went fast after that, with Shivam Dube sent for 5 and India reduced to 130/5 in the 14th over. Tilak Varma, who was rarely dropped down to number seven, produced an important 29 off 18 as Samson held the innings together.
Battling the heat, Samson reached his half-century in 41 balls, the third slowest by an Indian in Men’s Asia Cup T20 history, before falling for 56. Harshit Rana then gave a late flourish, hitting a towering maximum as India finished at 188/8.
For Oman, the spin trio stood out. Faisal Shah (2-23), Jiten Ramanandi (2-33), and Aamir Kaleem (2-31) shared six wickets, preventing India from scoring 200 runs. Despite a valiant effort, Oman came up short, while India won and Arshdeep Singh set a new record.
Brief scores:
India 188/8 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 56, Abhishek Sharma 38; Aamir Kaleem 2/31, Jiten Ramanandi 2/33) beat Oman 167/4 in 20 overs (Aamir Kaleem 64, Hammad Mirza 51; Hardik Pandya 1/26, Kuldeep Yadav 1/23) by 21 runs
