India will kick off their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against UAE on September 10, marking the resumption of a rare rivalry that was last seen in the Asia Cup 2016. Almost a decade later, the two teams will clash again, with Suryakumar Yadav leading a star-studded Indian squad and Muhammad Waseem captaining a confident UAE side eager to make a statement.
For the UAE, this fixture is a golden opportunity to test themselves against one of the world’s most formidable cricketing nations. Excitement is palpable within the UAE camp, especially among their talented opener Alishan Sharafu, who openly expressed his enthusiasm about facing India’s elite players.
“I think they are all quality players. If I have to take some names, like Jasprit Bumrah or Hardik Pandya, these guys are match-winners. I’m quite excited to have the experience of playing against them and hopefully, we can give them a tough time,” Alishan Sharafu said in the pre-match press interaction.
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India, treating this tournament as a dress rehearsal for the T20 World Cup 2026, has brought their strongest squad. Their presence adds extra weight to this fixture, while the UAE enter the contest having gained crucial match experience in a recent tri-series against Pakistan and Afghanistan. Despite failing to secure a win, they came within four runs of defeating Afghanistan, showing signs of promise.
Sharafu believes his side is well-prepared: “The boys are in a good space. We’ve just finished the tri-series, played some close games, and had a great camp over the last month. We’re confident and looking for a positive result.”
This is the UAE’s first Asia Cup appearance since 2016, and Alishan Sharafu emphasised the importance of playing fearless cricket.
“India is one of the best sides in the world. We don’t want to play against names, we want to focus on the basics, back our strengths, and play smart cricket,” he added.
The UAE squad boasts talented names, including captain Muhammad Waseem, power-hitter Asif Khan, and promising youngsters like Aryansh Sharma.
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UAE Squad for Asia Cup 2025: Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma (wk), Asif Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Ethan D’Souza, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Matiullah Khan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra (wk), Rohid Khan, Simranjeet Singh, Saghir Khan.
With India aiming to start strong and the UAE hungry to prove themselves, this clash promises to set the tone for an exciting Asia Cup 2025.
