Asia Cup 2025: India Prepares for Rivalry with Pakistan After Opening Against Oman

India’s upcoming Asia Cup match against Oman in Abu Dhabi on Friday is expected to be more of a training exercise rather than a challenging contest, sandwiched between two intense games against Pakistan. With another match against Pakistan scheduled for Sunday in the Super Fours, India will be cautious not to overexert their key players in the extreme heat and humidity.

Earlier victories against the UAE and Pakistan have limited the playtime for India’s middle-order. Players such as Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, and Axar Patel will be eager to take advantage of this opportunity to get in some batting practice. It might also be a good time to rest Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the next Pakistan match, given Oman’s weaker batting lineup, which struggled against Pakistan and the UAE. Harshit Rana and left-armer Arshdeep Singh are potential alternatives to step in for Bumrah.

Facing Oman’s bowling attack will provide the Indian batters with an interesting challenge. Despite being a step down in quality, Oman’s bowlers have similarities with their Pakistani counterparts. For India, it’s a perfect practice scenario for facing left-arm seamers like Shaheen Afridi and spinners like Mohammad Nawaz and Abrar Ahmed in future encounters. Shubman Gill, who has fine-tuned his skills against left-arm pace, will welcome the chance to further hone his abilities prior to high-pressure matches.

The Indian team will also focus on adapting to spinners, who have emerged as crucial players in this tournament. Pakistan’s success in the Asia Cup has been largely attributed to their spinners, with Saim Ayub notably taking six wickets across three matches.

Tilak Varma and Shivam Dube, among other Indian players, will aim to improve their recent struggles against spin bowling. India and Oman haven’t faced each other in international cricket before, but some familiarity exists from last October when players like Abhishek Sharma and Tilak Varma played against Oman in the ACC T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup.

In their previous encounter, an India ‘A’ side easily defeated Oman by six wickets, and India is expected to dominate again in this upcoming match.