Well then, this wraps up the group stage of the Asia Cup 2025. It started with a run of one-sided affairs, but as the tournament grew and the race to Super 4 heated up, the intensity did too, with some gripping contests along the way. For the very first time, eight teams began the journey, and now we are down to the best four. From Group A, India and Pakistan, and from Group B, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have booked their places in the Super 4. No time to breathe, the action resumes right away in Dubai with Sri Lanka facing Bangladesh on 20th September, Saturday. The game kicks off with the first ball scheduled to be bowled at 8 pm IST (2.30 pm GMT). But as you all know the drill, do mark your presence an hour earlier for the exciting pre-match analysis and buildup. We sign off, only to meet for the next time. Take care, cheers.

They say in cricket, or in any sport, you either win or you learn. In their maiden Asia Cup campaign, Oman showed plenty of promise despite limited exposure against full-member nations. They head back home with heads held high and plenty of hope to build on for the future. The most important thing about them was that they didn't look overly dependent on a couple of players, but were proactive in all departments, especially in this fixture. For the Indians, they do maintain a clean record and enter the Super 4 with positive momentum. Their first challenge isn't that far as they face Pakistan on Sunday, 21st September. 

The Indian skipper, SURYAKUMAR YADAV, is all smiles as he walks up for a chat. Says with a smile that he will definitely try batting ahead at number 11 from the next game. On testing the bench strength, he feels that it was overall an impressive outing and praises Oman for playing an unbelievable brand of cricket. Adds that with their coach, Sulakshan Kulkarni, there was bound to be some 'khadoosness', and he really enjoyed watching them bat. On Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, he mentions how tough it is to suddenly come out and perform after sitting for a while, but both handled it well. Speaking about Hardik Pandya’s unfortunate run-out, he says the conditions are extremely humid. Still, Hardik can never be kept away from the game, pointing to the way he bowled and even the manner of his dismissal. Finally, looking ahead, he says the team is all set for the Super Four and the big clash against Pakistan on Sunday.

The captain of Oman, JATINDER SINGH, is up for a chat. Despite being on the losing side, one can clearly spot a sense of glee on his face. He says that he is extremely proud of the unit. Reflects that they executed their plans really well and stayed in the present. Adds that the boys really showed excellent character in crunch situations. Says that the hype of the tournament was somewhere in the mind. Admits that they do lack experience and exposure and shares that they have the World Cup Qualifiers in Oman as their next big challenge. Shares that they are grouped with Papua New Guinea and Samoa in that tournament. Ends by saying he is really proud of the team for showing great character against the World T20I champions and says they will play with the same energy in the future games.

India's SANJU SAMSON is adjudged as the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his knock of 56 off 45 deliveries. On the hot and humid conditions, he says that it was tough out there, but he has been working on his fitness with the new trainer, Adrian, even doing a Bronco test last week, so he is feeling good. On finding his rhythm late in the innings, he mentions that it was nice to spend some time in the middle. He gives credit to Oman for bowling really well, especially in the Powerplay, where they got the ball to swing. Adds that he always backs his strengths to stay positive. Calling it a typical Samson knock, he concludes by saying that any contribution with the bat for the country is something to take positives from.

... THE PRESENTATION ...

Uplifting visuals from the ground. The entire Oman squad has gathered around Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav, with SKY sharing his insights and likely a few words of appreciation too. Overall, a good display of sportsman's spirit. It is then followed by the Oman squad posing for the team photograph as they end their Asia Cup 2025 journey. Also, it was their maiden appearance in this competition. Please stay tuned for the presentation ceremony...

Earlier in the game, on a seemingly good batting track, India chose to bat first but lost Gill early. Abhishek Sharma provided a perfect launchpad and played his usual aggressive game before falling, while India experimented with their batting order. Sanju Samson looked scratchy, was also dropped on 44, but managed to reach a hard-fought fifty. India kept scoring at close to ten an over consistently, yet Oman impressed with regular breakthroughs and sharp fielding to keep India under 200, which was an achievement in itself, against a batting lineup as deep as this. Suryakumar Yadav did not come out to bat despite eight wickets down, but the total was already imposing. For Oman, Shah Faisal was the standout with two wickets at an economy of under a run a ball. Jiten Ramanandi and Aamir Kaleem also picked up two each, with Jiten involved in a couple of run outs. For Oman, it was a valuable outing filled with lessons, experience, and a lot of positives to take back home.

For India, this outing can be wrapped up in one word - EXPERIMENTATION. They tried out a new batting order and later rotated as many as eight bowlers, yet none managed to strike with consistency. Just when the panic buttons were about to be pressed, Hardik Pandya pulled off a screamer to cut short a courageous innings from Aamir Kaleem. And from there, the wheels just came off towards the backend. Plenty of positives for Oman. They may have fallen short of a daunting target, but they came far closer than most would have expected. In fact, as we mentioned, their fighting spirit against India was far stronger than what Pakistan and the UAE had managed to show.

The Indian bowlers looked desperate in search of wickets, and even with spin deployed in the middle overs, the openers dealt with caution, without being rash. The deadlock was eventually broken as Kuldeep Yadav provided the first wicket by dismissing Jatinder Singh. However, the wickets remained elusive, and Aamir Kaleem, along with Hammad Mirza, formed a partnership of substance. Both got off to their respective fifties, which, of course, they will remember for a long, long time.

Chasing a massive total of 189 runs was always going to be a huge ask for Oman. But Jatinder Singh and Aamir Kaleem formed a stable opening stand with a positive intent and dealt against the pace attack with smart strike rotation and finding boundaries occasionally. They also negotiated well against whatever early movement there was early doors. Not bang-bang throughout, but they did end their Powerplay without losing any wickets, with the score of 44 on the board.

Well played, Oman! They might have lost the game, but the kind of character they showed on the field, across all departments, was really commendable. They kept their best saved against the best. Duleep Mendis, the former Sri Lankan batter and the current head coach of Oman, would be a very happy man seeing this side produce an impressive performance. Neither from Pakistan nor from the UAE, but the Indians were challenged by Oman in their first-ever face-off in T20Is. Who knows, had they just been a bit braver and pushed a bit more in the middle overs, they could have actually pulled off a massive heist.

Jiten Ramanandi is in at 6.

Arshdeep Singh (3-0-24-0) to bowl the final over.

Vinayak Shukla is in at 5.