Oman outperformed their weight in the final group game of the 2025 Asia Cup, losing by only 21 runs to a dominant Indian team at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday, September 19. While Oman will finish the Asia Cup without a win, they will take a lot of positives from their match against the defending champions.
After winning the toss and deciding to bat first, India lost vice-captain Shubman Gill in the second over. Abhishek Sharma, on the other hand, made another impressive cameo, hitting 38 off just 15 balls. Oman continued to take wickets during the middle overs, but Sanju Samson, promoted to No. 3, held the innings together with a patient half-century. Axar Patel and Tilak Varma delivered impressive cameos to enable the Men in Blue finish on 188/8 in 20 overs.
In response, Oman’s openers Jatinder Singh and Aamir Kaleem got their team off to a slow start. They made 56 runs in nine overs. After Jatinder was removed for 33 off 32 balls, Hammad Mirza joined forces with Kaleem.
The duo added 93 runs off just 55 balls, instilling hope in the hearts of Oman fans. However, the Oman batters lacked the necessary power hitting in the late innings. While Kaleem and Mirza both scored half-centuries, they were eventually limited to 167/4 in their 20 overs.
Key moments from IND vs OMN, Match 12 of Asia Cup 2025:
1. Sanju Samson anchors innings with a gritty fifty
Sanju Samson got his first opportunity to bat in the ongoing Asia Cup, and he made it count. The Kerala wicketkeeper-batter was sent in at No. 3, and he had his problems dealing with the sluggish nature of the surface. However, with India losing wickets through the middle overs, his 45-ball 56 turned out to be useful as he anchored the innings, allowing the likes of Tilak Varma and Axar Patel to play blistering cameos.
The Sanju Show was in full swing tonight! 👌
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2. 43-year-old Aamir Kaleem top-scores with half-century
Aamir Kaleem, who turns 44 years old in a couple of months, gave Oman hopes of registering a historic win. He opened the batting and scored 64 off just 46 balls, hitting seven fours and two sixes. The left-handed batter became the oldest to score a 50-plus against a full-member nation.
Aamir Kaleem, take a bow 🫡
An innings that will go down in Oman cricket history 🇴🇲
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— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) September 19, 2025
3. Hardik Pandya takes a blinder at a crucial stage
It took a brilliant piece of fielding from Hardik Pandya to end Aamir Kaleem’s exemplary knock. The southpaw helped a delivery on the leg-side away towards the fine-leg boundary. Hardik had to cover a lot of ground towards his right. The ball was travelling, but the Choryasi-born timed his run to perfection and grabbed the ball with both hands and maintained his balance, not stepping onto the boundary rope. Oman were in the game before this dismissal, requiring 40 runs off 15 balls, with nine wickets in hand.
Hardik Pandya takes a jaw-dropper to stop Kaleem in his tracks 👌
Watch #INDvOMAN LIVE now on the Sony Sports Network TV channels & Sony LIV. #SonySportsNetwork #DPWorldAsiaCup2025 pic.twitter.com/WgNrcBCjcu
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) September 19, 2025
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