3 things to look forward to in India's Asia Cup 2025 clash vs Oman ft. Sanju Samson

The final Group A match of the 2025 Asia Cup will see India face off against Oman for the first time in international history. The long-awaited encounter will take place the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday, September 19.

This contest won't affect the scope of the tournament much. While India have already qualified for the Super 4 stage and are all set to finish at the top of the group, Oman have already been eliminated after successive losses.

However, that won't matter much to the underdogs, who will jump at the chance of locking horns with some of the best players in the world. The Men in Blue, meanwhile, have their own goals to accomplish ahead of the next stage of the competition.

India's squad for the 2025 Asia Cup: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.

Oman's squad for the 2025 Asia Cup: Jatinder Singh (c), Hammad Mirza, Vinayak Shukla, Sufyan Yousuf, Ashish Odedera, Aamir Kaleem, Mohammed Nadeem, Sufyan Mehmood, Aryan Bisht, Karan Sonavale, Zikriya Islam, Hassnain Ali Shah, Faisal Shah, Muhammed Imran, Nadeem Khan, Shakeel Ahmad, Samay Shrivastava.

On that note, here are three things to look forward to in Match 12 of the 2025 Asia Cup between India and Oman.

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#3 Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav have formed a fearsome combo

India v United Arab Emirates - Asia Cup - Source: Getty

Each time India play in the shortest format, the mastery of two of their spinners - Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav - has become something to eagerly anticipate. The duo are at the top of their game right now, with the latter having picked up consecutive Player of the Match awards in the 2025 Asia Cup so far.

Oman's batters definitely won't find it easy to counter Varun and Kuldeep, whose eight overs could produce any number of wickets. Even though they might not find as much assistance from the surface, they can be expected to feast on an opposition that wouldn't have seen much of them.

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#2 Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel haven't batted yet in the 2025 Asia Cup

India v United Arab Emirates - Asia Cup - Source: Getty

India sprung a surprise ahead of the first game against the United Arab Emirates by fielding Sanju Samson in a middle-order role ahead of Jitesh Sharma. However, the keeper-batter is yet to get any deliveries to face in the middle. The same goes for Hardik Pandya and Axar Patel, who haven't been required with the bat so far.

One of the most interesting storylines of the India vs Oman encounter will be the prospective batting positions of the trio. Samson is seemingly slated for No. 6 or below, which isn't a role he has played in a long while. Hardik and Axar, meanwhile, are perhaps entrusted to be finishers.

This will be interesting to keep an eye on not just with the context of the 2025 Asia Cup but also the team's lead-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup.

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#1 India will face Oman for the first time in their history

India v Pakistan - Asia Cup - Source: Getty

A packed crowd is expected in Abu Dhabi to witness Oman take on India for the first time in their history. Many of Oman's players are of Indian origin, and it will be a welcome opportunity for them.

It's always heartwarming to see a non-Test playing nation face off against one of the best teams in the world. Plenty of memorable moments have been written into the history books, even if the results haven't always been favorable to the weaker teams.

Even the odd wicket or boundary could have wide-ranging effects. The growth of the game, which has always been one of the foremost priorities, will also benefit.