Here are some of the highlights of the game.
Nobody expected UAE to shock India in their Asia Cup tie, but given their spirited performances against the other three teams in the competition, even a die-hard Indian fan would have predicted something more than a one sided match. However, things turned out to be very different as a well oiled Indian outfit, powered by their bench warmers thrashed UAE by nine wickets to set themselves up for the big summit clash against Bangladesh.
Here are some of the talking points of the game:-
Bhuvneshwar’s sweet return
Bhuvneshwar Kumar made an impressive comeback to the Indian team by having an immediate effect with the new ball. He stuck to his strength - pitched it up rather than banging it short to trouble the batsmen with the moving ball. The UAE openers played and missed and ultimately Swapnil Patil tried to flick one to the leg side and got a top edge which was gleefully accepted by the bowler. Bhuvneshwar was unlucky not to get another scalp when he managed to move the ball away from left hander Rohan Mustafa only to see the ever so safe Suresh Raina miss a regulation catch at second slip. Coming back for the last over of the innings, Bhuvneshwar peppered the tail-enders with short pitched stuff and got Mohammad Naveed in the bargain.
Bhuvneshwar has always been a thinking bowler and on Thursday he proved that he has a place in the Men in Blue ranks.
Negi’s first international wicket
Left arm orthodox spinner Pawan Negi encountered some butterflies early on in his first international spell, bowling rank short deliveries to Shaiman Anwar, but he was quick to alter the length and struck in his maiden over. Mohammad Usman offered a dolly to Harbhajan Singh at long off trying a heave on the leg side. From there on the priciest Indian buy of this year’s IPL auction never looked back and he finished off with a street smart run out off his own bowling. One wicket for 16 runs in three overs, Negi couldn’t have asked for more, that’s the way every domestic cricketer wants to begin on the big stage.
Bhajji’s miserly spell
Harbhajan Singh given a rare opportunity made full use of it. He was at his miserly best conceding just 11 off his four overs and even if he hadn’t got UAE skipper, Amjad Javed, he would have gone back to the dressing room happy. The reason being he flighted the ball at the batsman’s eye level and gave it maximum time to spin while occasionally pushing in those faster ones. While UAE shouldn’t be a team against whom Bhajji’s recent performances should be judged, the best part was that the Turbanator didn’t look rusty even after being out of the playing XI for so long.
Shaiman Anwar, UAE’s lone fighter
Shaiman Anwar first came into limelight when he scored over 300 runs in the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand and he played in tune to the ‘best UAE batsman’ tag. The right hander was utterly patient throughout his knock as he saw his mates making guest appearances at the wicket. In the end it was his 48-ball-43 that saved UAE the blushes of being restricted by Indian bowlers below the 80-run-mark.
Related Read: Asia Cup India v/s UAE Commentary: India beat awful UAE easily with 59 balls left
Umpiring howlers continue
This Asia Cup has been in the news for umpiring howlers and Bangladeshi umpire Sis Saikat was in the midst of yet another controversy on Thursday. Pacer Mohammad Naveed banged in a short delivery which took the edge of Shikhar Dhawan’s bat as he attempted a cut. The wicket keeper held on to the easy chance but much to the dismay of the minnows, umpire Saikat was unmoved. TV replays confirmed the mistake and if umpires like these continue officiating international games, ICC will have to counter a lot of brickbats.
Yuvraj is roaring
Mahendra Singh Dhoni has spoken about his plans of promoting Yuvraj Singh up the Indian batting order and as soon as he got an opportunity, the Indian skipper walked the talk. In came Yuvraj at the fall of Rohit Sharma's wicket during India's chase of 82 and blasted four boundaries and a six to draw curtains on the game. In addition to this he had picked up a UAE wicket. All the hullabaloo about Yuvraj Singh's form has taken the back seat for now. There is a reason why Dhoni had persisted with the veteran.
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