Asia Cup 2025: Sanju Samson Hits 56 As India Score 188 vs Oman

The first innings of the India vs Oman Asia Cup 2025 Group A match have come to an end. The Men in Blue have set a target of 189 for Jatinder Singh's men to chase in 20 overs.

Sanju Samson shines for India vs Oman at Asia Cup 2025

Source : PTI

India faced Oman for the first time in a T20I in tonight's Asia Cup 2025 Group A match. The former's captain, Suryakumar Yadav, won the toss and elected to bat first. 

Fans expected fireworks from openers Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill, but things didn't go quite as planned initially. Having said that, the defending champions eventually found their footing, and marched to a total of 188 at the end of 20 overs, losing 8 wickets in the process. 

Oman is yet to win a game at the tournament, and now have to face Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav (who was crowned Man of the Match in India's last two games) to attain 2 points.

India vs Oman: First Innings Summary

The final score may suggest a different picture, but India had an uncharacteristic quiet start to the match. Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill initially looked to be challenged by Oman's Ahmed Shakeel in the first over. 

Faisal Shah then uprooted Shubman Gill's off stump in the second over. That said, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma would then provide stability to the innings, chipping in with runs and boundaries at a steady rate. At the end of the Power Play, the score was 60-1. 

The latter would depart after scoring 38 off 15, and Hardik Pandya would follow after scoring just a single run. However, quick-fire cameos from Axar Patel (26 off 13) and Tilak Varma (29 off 18) kept the score board ticking.

Sanju Samson held the fort on the other end (also thanks to a dropped catch when he was on 44), scoring a half century, and playing an instrumental role in his team setting a 180+ total. He departed in the 18th over after scoring 56 runs.

The skipper, Suryakumar Yadav, decided to demote himself to number 11 today in the batting order, and was not seen on the pitch in the first innings.

Although Jasprit Bumrah isn't in the side tonight, the likes of Arshdeep Singh and Kuldeep Yadav are expected to keep things challenging for Oman, who now have their work cut out for them.