3 player battles to watch out for in India vs UAE, Match 2 of 2025 Asia Cup ft. Suryakumar Yadav

Team India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will lock horns in the upcoming match 2 of the 2025 Asia Cup. The T20I contest will take place at Dubai International Stadium in Dubai.

The two sides have squared off against each other just once so far in T20Is. India clinched a comprehensive nine-wicket victory over the UAE in their 2016 Asia Cup clash at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Dhaka.

Shaiman Anwar (43 off 48 balls) was the lone warrior with the bat for the UAE as they registered 81/9 in 20 overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 4-2-8-2.

The Men in Blue chased the modest total in just 10.1 overs, with opener Rohit Sharma playing a 39-run knock from 28 deliveries. The UAE will look to put up a strong fight against the 2024 T20 World Cup winners this time.

The UAE featured in a tri-nation series with Pakistan and Afghanistan ahead of the 2025 Asia Cup. However, they endured a dismal campaign, suffering four losses from as many matches.

India, on the other hand, claimed a 4-1 series victory at home against England earlier this year in their most recent T20I assignment. Impressively, they are yet to lose a single T20I bilateral series since Suryakumar Yadav took over the captaincy reins.

India and the UAE are placed in Group A of the 2025 Asia Cup alongside Pakistan and Oman. Here, we take a look at match-ups that could have an impact on the encounter:

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#1 Jasprit Bumrah (India) vs Muhammad Waseem (UAE)

The UAE skipper Muhammad Waseem has been the team's top batting performer in T20Is. The opener was the second-highest run-scorer in the side's recently concluded tri-nation series, amassing 163 runs across four innings at a strike rate of 158.25.

Waseem is the leading run-getter for the UAE in T20Is. He has played 82 matches and has 2,922 runs to his name at a strike rate of 155.67. While the onus will be on him to get his team off to a brisk start, he will be up against India's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.

Bumrah has not played a T20I since the side's 2024 T20 World Cup campaign, where he was adjudged the Player of the Tournament. He picked up 15 wickets from eight innings at an excellent economy rate of 4.17.

The fast bowler has taken 28 T20I wickets in the powerplay. He could be captain Suryakumar Yadav's best bet with the new ball against the dangerous Waseem.

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#2 Suryakumar Yadav (India) vs Haider Ali (UAE)

Suryakumar Yadav had a dismal home series with the bat against England, scoring just 28 runs in five innings. However, he roared back to form in the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL)

The Mumbai Indians (MI) star chalked up 717 runs from 16 innings, the highest-ever by a non-opener in a single edition. He is expected to play a key role in the 2025 Asia Cup, especially in the middle overs.

Suryakumar's contest against the UAE left-arm spinner Haider Ali could be an interesting one. The swashbuckling batter has a strike rate of 147.65 against spinners in T20Is. He got out to left-arm spin four times in five innings in IPL 2025.

However, it drops to 123.47 against left-arm spinners, and he has been dismissed five times from 32 innings by them. Ali performed decently for the UAE in the tri-nation series, bagging six wickets from four outings with an economy rate of 6.25.

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#3 Abhishek Sharma (India) vs Junaid Siddique (UAE)

Opener Abhishek Sharma has made a name for himself with blistering knocks at the top of the order. The southpaw is likely to back his fearless approach in the 2025 Asia Cup as well.

The UAE will rely on their veteran pacer Junaid Siddique against the attacking batter. Siddique is the team's highest wicket-taker in T20Is, picking up 100 wickets from 75 matches.

Abhishek hit a stunning century in the fifth and final T20I against England in February. He slammed 135 runs off just 54 deliveries. He was SunRisers Hyderabad's (SRH) second-highest run-scorer in IPL 2025, scoring 439 runs across 13 innings at a fantastic strike rate of 193.39.