NewKerala.com

Key Points

Suryakumar Yadav finally broke India's unlucky streak at the toss by winning the flip against UAE. He immediately chose to bowl first, citing the fresh wicket and potential for dew later in the evening. India fielded a spin-heavy lineup with Kuldeep Yadav playing and Arshdeep Singh sitting out. Interestingly, UAE captain Muhammed Waseem revealed he would have made the same decision to bowl first.

Key Points: Suryakumar Yadav Wins Toss India Bowls First vs UAE Asia Cup

  • India ends a record 15-match toss-losing streak in international cricket
  • Spin-heavy attack features Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy
  • Jasprit Bumrah leads pace attack as sole specialist pacer
  • UAE captain Waseem admits he would have also chosen to bowl first
2 min read

Coin finally flipped for India as it chooses to bowl first against UAE in Asia Cup opener

India's toss-losing streak ends as Suryakumar Yadav chooses to bowl first against UAE in the Asia Cup opener, with Kuldeep Yadav in and Arshdeep out.

"We will bowl first. Looks like a nice fresh wicket. Humid also today, might be dew later. - Suryakumar Yadav"

Dubai, September 10

Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav won the toss and elected to bowl first against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their Group A Asia Cup campaign opener at Dubai on Tuesday.

With this, India's record-breaking streak of losing tosses has finally come to an end, having previously lost the toss in 15 past international outings before this.

Team India has opted to play spinner Kuldeep Yadav, and ace left-armer Arshdeep Singh is sitting out. Sanju Samson is also playing. India has opted for Jasprit Bumrah as the sole specialist pacer option, with support from all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Shivam Dube. The spin attack looks strong, with Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep at the frontline, with support from all-rounders Abhishek Sharma and Axar Patel. Also, finisher Rinku Singh is sitting out.

Speaking during the toss, Suryakumar said, "We will bowl first. Looks like a nice fresh wicket. Humid also today, might be dew later. If we get an opportunity, we are flexible to do anything but today we want to bowl. We came here early, had 3-4 good practice sessions and also a day off."

Also, UAE skipper Muhammed Waseem said that they would have chosen to bowl as well.

"We were also looking to bowl. Pitch is fresh and maybe the ball will do something early. We had a good series, took many positive points and we are confident from that series. We are going with a good combination with spinners and fast bowlers, and juniors and seniors," said Waseem.

India (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav(c), Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson(w), Shivam Dube, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy.

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Interesting team selection. Leaving out Arshdeep and Rinku Singh is surprising. Hope the spin-heavy attack works well against UAE. Kuldeep and Varun combo could be lethal on Dubai pitch.
S
Sarah B
Good to see Sanju Samson getting a chance. He deserves this opportunity after consistent performances. Hope he makes it count today!
A
Aditya G
Bowling first is the right call in Dubai conditions. The pitch tends to get better for batting later, and dew will make it difficult for UAE bowlers in second innings. Smart cricket from SKY!
K
Karthik V
Only one specialist pacer? That's a bold move. Bumrah will have to carry the pace attack with support from Hardik and Dube. Hope the spinners deliver as expected.
M
Michael C
Good to see the toss curse broken! Now let's hope the batting and bowling click. This should be a comfortable win but can't take any team lightly in T20 cricket.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50