Aamir, Hammad Fifties in Vain as India Thrash Oman to Secure Top Spot

India secured top spot in Group A of the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 by defeating Oman. This was the last group stage game of the tournament, which was played in high spirits by both teams. The skill of Indian bowlers made the chase difficult for Oman batters, as they could not lift the batting tempo throughout the innings. With this win, India advanced to the Super Four stage as hot favorites.

India came into the game with two changes. They gave rest to Jasprit Bumrah, so that he can return fully fit in the blockbuster Pakistan clash on Sunday. He is certainly the ace bowler of Team India who always performs well in crunch matches. Alongside him, India also rested Varun Chakravarthy from today’s game.

After winning the toss at Abu Dhabi, India decided to bat first. They knew that the pitch would be good at the start of the game, hence they made full use of it in the Powerplay. Their in-form batter Abhishek Sharma made the mark by taking down Oman bowlers aggressively. The other Indian opener, Shubman Gill, failed yet again, as he was castled by a beauty of Shah Faisal in the second over. His demise, however, didn’t make much difference, as Abhishek kept on hitting till the end of the Powerplay.

The youngster played a short innings of 38 runs, but it looked valuable in terms of boosting the scoring rate in the Powerplay. Abhishek Sharma then fell cheaply to Ramanandi, and shortly after that, Hardik Pandya also got run out. The double-wicket over gave Oman a lot of confidence, and they used that to squeeze the scoring rate of India.

However, Sanju Samson played a sensible knock. He understood the situation and played cautiously after the fall of wickets. Today, he came out to bat at number 3 in place of regular Suryakumar Yadav. Sanju played a good hand by scoring 56 runs off 45 balls. He smashed 3 fours and 3 sixes to make a strong mark in today’s game.

Meanwhile, the late order cameo of Tilak Varma was also crucial for India in the 1st innings. He smashed a quick 29 off 18 balls with the help of 1 four and 2 sixes. Due to this late push, India posted a strong total of 188 on the board.

When Oman came out to bat, they had a clear plan. It was basically centered around keeping wickets in hand and taking the game deep. The duo of Jatinder Singh and Aamir Kaleem made a good start by making 44 in the Powerplay. However, after that, things slowed down as soon as the Indian spinners came into play. They choked the scoring rate of Oman, ensuring not to give free singles and doubles regularly.

Jatinder Singh then fell in the 9th over, courtesy of a beauty from Kuldeep Yadav. After that, Hammad Mirza came in to bat at number 3. He played a great hand and took the Oman batting innings deep. Hammad made an impressive 51 off 33 balls, by smashing 5 fours and 2 sixes.

Meanwhile, Aamir Kaleem was equally good, as he built a great partnership with Hammad in the middle. Aamir also made a valuable 64 that included 7 fours and 2 sixes. Both of these players were looking well set to launch in the end, until Aamir fell in the 18th over. It was already quite late, as the required run-rate was soaring over 14.

Soon after that, Hammad also fell, and then the Oman batting resistance finally ended. India won the game by 21 runs, ensuring to remain on top of Group A. They will now play their first Super Four game against Pakistan on Sunday, which will definitely be a blockbuster rematch.