"Will not take it as big match": UAE captain Waseem downplays fixture against India Dubai [UAE], September 10 (ANI): UAE captain Muhammad Waseem isn''t dwelling on the narrative of their Asia Cup campaign opener against India being a showpiece clash. They aim to keep things simple, stick to their plan and cash in when they feel the moment is right. The UAE is making steady inroads to become one of the top sides in Asia, much like Afghanistan, which has earned a reputation as one of the bigwigs in the subcontinent, capable of challenging the best. Their recent surge resonates in their stellar run to qualify for the T20 World Cup in 2022. The UAE is striving to draw upon its experiences and take the necessary steps to start its campaign with flying colours. "We will not take it as a big match because all the teams are good in front of you, so all the matches will be the same. We are working hard in the heat, and we will only follow our plan. Whatever we have learned and whatever we need to do on that day, we will do it. Rest, the result is up to the game," Waseem told ANI. Waseem isn''t a big fan of the idea of identifying a single individual who poses a threat and then devising a plan to contain the specific player. The UAE skipper revealed that they have engineered a plan to curtail their freedom and not play to their strengths. "No, we have not made any individual plan for any particular player. We have created a plan for 6-7 batters for the whole team. We will not give their strength to the strength. We will play carefully with their wicket-taker bowler, and whoever we can charge, we have made such a plan. If the unit is more, the role of the spinners can increase," he added. India has plenty of talented spinners in its pool, including Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel. Waseem believes that if the dew factor comes into play, it would be easy to negate the threat posed by the ball tweakers. Considering the fixture will be played on their home soil, he is looking to exploit home familiarity. "Whenever there is dew, I think the spinner''s ball doesn''t turn much. But it depends on the weather tomorrow and the conditions. And as I have told you, whatever we have learned. Yes, you are right that we play a lot of cricket here. We can also say that India and Pakistan play a lot of cricket here. But it is our home. So we will try our best to take advantage of and play good cricket," he concluded. India squad for Asia Cup: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jitesh Sharma, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Arshdeep Singh. Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh. UAE squad for Asia Cup: Muhammad Waseem (c), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, Asif Khan. Dhruv Parashar, Ethan D''Souza, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Matiullah Khan. Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra, Rohid Khan. Simranjeet Singh, Saghir Khan. (ANI) ------------------------------------------------------ Asia Cup: A look at Abhishek Sharma''s consistent performances across five past tournaments ahead of UAE clash Dubai [UAE], September 9 (ANI): Indian opener Abhishek Sharma heads into the Asia Cup as the batter with the most promising strike rate in the T20 matches he has played since October 2023. Since October 2023, which marked the start of this Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy tournament won by Punjab, Abhishek has been India''s highest run-getter in T20s, with 2,332 runs in 66 matches at an average of 36.43, with a strike rate of 198.29. He has scored six centuries and 12 fifties, with a best score of 141. Capable of clearing the boundary right from ball one, and with a blink-and-miss bat swing, the Yuvraj Singh-mentored Punjabi hitter is amongst the most prominent faces of India''s new age T20I approach. The 25-year-old baby-faced hitter is exactly opposite of what his look might suggest, as he is seen as one of the cleanest and powerful strikers of the cricket ball. One can witness glimpses of a young Yuvraj in the youngster. The team now has new anchors without Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. In 17 matches and 16 innings, Abhishek has scored 535 runs at an average of 33.43 at a strike rate of 193.84, with two centuries and two fifties, with his 54-ball 135 against a star-studded England being his best performance in Indian colours. The choice for Abhishek appears to be simple, either kill the game and opposition right in the powerplay or perish. While inconsistency is a frustrating by-product of his ferocious approach, an in-form Abhishek depositing the white-ball in the stands is a sight to behold. Here are performances of Abhishek in the recent five major T20I tournaments: IPL 2025: During the 2025 IPL season, Abhishek started off poorly in the first five matches. But a destructive 141 in just 55 balls, with 14 fours and 10 sixes against Punjab Kings (PBKS) had fans hyped again. After this knock, Abhishek found more consistency, with two more half-centuries and some vital opening cameos. He ended as the side''s second-highest run-getter and overall 15th-highest run-getter with 439 runs in 14 matches and 13 innings at an average of 33.76 with a strike rate of 193.39, with a century and two half-centuries to his name. However, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) finished in the bottom half of the table. Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024/25: Representing his home state of Punjab, Abhishek ended as the 22nd-highest run-getter with 255 runs in seven innings at an average of 42.50, with a best score of 106* and a strike rate of 216.10. Punjab failed to defend their titles as they could not reach the knockout stages. ACC Emerging Teams Cup 2024/25: Playing for India A in this tournament, Abhishek scored 134 runs in four innings at an average of 33.50 at a strike rate of 203.03, with a half-century to his name and best score of 58. Team India made it to the semifinals, with his cameo against Pakistan and 50 against UAE being crucial contributions. IPL 2024: This marked the point when Abhishek''s exploits reached a wider, mainstream audience. His pairing with Australian opener Travis Head, popularly known as ''Travi-Shek'', broke powerplay batting records of T20 cricket and redefined the shortest format of the game to a point when scoring even 60-75 runs in powerplay looked underwhelming. Abhishek was the 10th-highest run-getter in the tournament and his team''s second-highest, with 484 runs in 16 matches and innings at an average of 32.26 and a strike rate of 204.21, with three half-centuries and a best score of 75*. He hit a total of 42 sixes in this tournament, the highest by an Indian batter in a single edition of the IPL. Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2023/24: Held from October to November 2023, this tournament is by far the highest point of Abhishek''s career, with 485 runs in 10 matches at an average of 48.50 at a strike rate of 192.50, with two centuries and three fifties and a best score of 112. He ended as the second-highest run-getter in the tournament, helping Punjab lift the title. Since October 2023, which marked the start of this SMAT tournament, Abhishek has been India''s highest run-getter in T20s, with 2,332 runs in 66 matches at an average of 36.43, with a strike rate of 198.29. He has scored six centuries and 12 fifties, with a best score of 141. (ANI) --------------------------------------------------- Suryakumar Yadav''s India lineup will have one eye on an Asia Cup title defense and the other on the Twenty20 World Cup it is co-hosting next year when it opens Group A against United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.India is the designated host of this 2025 edition of the Asia Cup. although it is being played at a neutral venue in the UAE under Asian Cricket Council’s guidelines for when the continental tournament is scheduled for either India or Pakistan.India vs. PakistanThe Asia Cup marks a resumption of cricket ties between India and Pakistan only months after the neighbouring countries were engaged in a tense border tension in May that disrupted the IPL and the Pakistan Super League. India''s government has given the national cricket team permission to play against Pakistan only in multi-nation tournaments.The first of a potential three meetings at the Asian Cup will be on Sunday — with a chance for more in the Super 4 stage and the Sept. 28 final. India also faces tournament newcomer Oman in the group stage on Sept. 19.Shubman Gill returnsIndia’s test captain Shubman Gill has returned to the T20 squad after a year out. He last played T20s against Sri Lanka in July 2024 when coach Gautam Gambhir took charge of the Indian team.Gill scored 754 runs in England as India’s new test skipper, helping the team draw 2-2 in the five-match series, and now returns as T20 vice-captain. T20 ace Suryakumar Yadav retained captaincy, so there''s some speculation about where Gill will slot into the XI.“He has been very successful in the IPL. He was part of the Indian team earlier, too. The kind of form he is in, it really augurs well," India great Sunil Gavaskar, who is part of the commentary panel for the Asia Cup. said. "Having him back was a no-brainer.” The Sanju Samson questionIn Gill’s absence, Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma formed an attacking opening partnership for India in T20s. While left-hander Sharma has shored up his opening spot with a mix of clever left-arm spin, Samson will be vying with Gill for the other opening slot.Since July of last year, Samson has scored 487 runs in 17 matches at an impressive strike-rate and hit three centuries. Those three hundreds inflated his run-tally, though, and masked a string of poor scores in between. Samson scored 111, 107 and 109 not out across five innings last October and November against Bangladesh (home) and South Africa (away). Take away those scores and he is left with 160 runs in 13 innings.Samson does play the dual wicketkeeper-batter role, but should Gill open, Jitesh Sharma provides a middle-order alternative. Sharma helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru win its first IPL trophy and his hitting prowess in the late overs didn’t go unnoticed.Along with Shivam Dube. Rinku Singh and Hardik Pandya, he provides a solid finishing platform for India, putting Samson''s place in some doubt.“Samson should be left alone as opener – he is most dangerous at the top and can win you matches," Ravi Shastri, former India captain and coach, told the Asia Cup’s broadcasters. “Gill can come in for someone else.”No bowling headache for IndiaJasprit Bumrah ''s fitness and availability leaves Samson’s position as India’s only selection headache. Bumrah featured in three of India’s five tests in England and, after being released from the squad ahead of the fifth test, has had sufficient rest ahead of the Asia Cup. The next T20 World Cup is India’s – and Bumrah’s – foremost assignment and team management is balancing the paceman''s workload.Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh are expected to share pace duties with Bumrah, while Pandya will back up as the allround pace option. He will share allrounder duties with Axar Patel and Dube. Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy should headline India’s spin attack.The formatThe last Asia Cup played in the T20 format was in 2022, when Sri Lanka beat Pakistan in the final. This edition is a precursor to the T20 World Cup next February, where India will be playing at home and Pakistan will play its games in Sri Lanka.The Asia Cup has alternated between ODI and Twenty20 white-ball formats since 2016, when India won the first of the T20 edition in Bangladesh.