India scored 188 for 8 in 20 overs against Oman in a Group A match of the Asia Cup 2025, and Sanju Samson was the main hero of this score.
Sanju played a brilliant half-century of 56 runs off 45 balls at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, helping India to a strong total.
Asia Cup 2025: IND vs OMA
Won the toss and opted to bat first, India had a poor start. Shubman Gill was dismissed in 1.3 overs for just 5 runs.
Abhishek Sharma then played a blistering innings of 38 runs off 15 balls, but he too was dismissed in 7.1 overs. From here, Sanju Samson stepped into the crease and took charge of the innings.
Sanju batted smartly and aggressively from the start. He hit three fours and three sixes in 45 balls, with a strike rate of 124.44. The highlights of his innings were his timing and ability to pick the ball.
Sanju stabilized the innings in the middle overs, forming small partnerships with Axar Patel (26) and Tilak Verma (29).
When Hardik Pandya (1) and Shivam Dubey (5) were dismissed early, Sanju absorbed the pressure and kept the run rate from slowing down.
He was caught by Faisal Shah in the 17.4 over, but by then India had scored 171 runs. His innings played a crucial role in India’s chase of 188.
Oman’s bowling saw Faisal Shah and Jiten Ramanandi take two wickets each, but their strategy failed against Sanju.
Oman now have to chase a target of 189 runs, and India’s bowling is ready to defend it.
