India will begin their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against the UAE on September 10. Ahead of the much-anticipated clash, UAE batter Alishan Sharafu expressed his excitement at the prospect of facing Indian superstars Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah.
India will open their Asia Cup 2025 campaign with a group-stage match against the United Arab Emirates on September 10. The encounter marks only the second T20I meeting between the two sides—the first taking place during the 2016 Asia Cup.
This time, the match carries additional significance as both teams come in with high expectations. Suryakumar Yadav leads a full-strength Indian side, while Muhammad Waseem captains a determined UAE squad. UAE opener Alishan Sharafu acknowledged the rarity of such opportunities and spoke of the team’s enthusiasm to face off against world-class talents like those in the Indian lineup. For India, the Asia Cup serves as vital preparation ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.
“I think they’re all top-quality players. If I had to name a few, it would be Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya — both are genuine match-winners who can turn the game on their own,” said Alishan Sharafu ahead of UAE’s clash with India. “I’m really looking forward to the experience of playing against them. Hopefully, we can put up a strong fight and give them a tough time.”
The UAE recently competed in a tri-series against Pakistan and Afghanistan, where they unfortunately failed to register a win. However, they came agonizingly close in their final match, falling just four runs short of a victory against Afghanistan.
Despite the string of losses, UAE batter Alishan Sharafu remains optimistic about his team’s chances against Suryakumar Yadav’s India.
“The boys are in a good space right now,” Sharafu said. “We’ve just wrapped up a tough tri-series against strong teams like Pakistan and Afghanistan, and while we didn’t get the results we wanted, we had some very close games. We’ve also had a solid training camp over the past month, and the team is feeling confident. We’re definitely aiming to produce a strong performance.”