Tuesday 18 / November / 2025
Muscat: India A sealed their place in the semifinals of the Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025 with a composed six-wicket win over Oman in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday, joining group leaders Pakistan in the final four.
Oman’s defeat ended their campaign in the tournament, but Hammad Mirza’s squad will return home richer in experience after their win against the UAE and competitive outings in defeats to Pakistan Shaheens and India A.
Put in to bat, Oman started briskly, with skipper Mirza leading from the front as they raced to 37 in four overs. His 16-ball 32, studded with three fours and two sixes, set the tone before he fell to Vijaykumar Vyshak.
Despite the fast start and a composed 54* off 45 balls from Wasim Ali, Oman were pulled back on a slow surface and restricted to 135/7. Leg-spinner Suyash Sharma was outstanding in the middle overs, returning a miserly 2/12 from four overs and removing opener Karan Sonavale as well as Zikria Islam. Spinner Naman Dhir (1/5) and left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey (1/30) ensured Oman’s momentum stalled every time it threatened to rebuild.
Narayan Saishiv chipped in with 16, but with wickets falling regularly, Oman’s late acceleration never materialised. Gurjapneet Singh’s double strike in the 19th over dented any remaining hopes as India A kept Oman to a manageable total.
Chasing 136, India A lost Priyansh Arya in the second over, but the asking rate was never in doubt. Naman Dhir played an authoritative hand at No. 3—30 off 19 with two fours and two sixes—keeping India ahead even as opener Vaibhav Suryavanshi fell for 12, leaving India at 37/2 inside the powerplay.
At that point, Oman sensed an opening, but Harsh Dubey arrived with calm authority. He stitched together a match-defining stand of 66 runs with Nehal Wadhera (23 off 24) and guided the chase with assurance. Dubey’s unbeaten 53 off 44 balls was a masterclass in control, mixing risk-free accumulation with timely aggression.
Wadhera’s supporting act kept India ahead of the rate, and skipper Jitesh Sharma finished the chase with a boundary, sealing victory at 138/4 in 17.5 overs with 13 balls to spare.
Jay Odedra was Oman’s standout bowler, conceding just 18 from four overs and dismissing Suryavanshi early. But support was inconsistent—Shafiq Jan went for 41 despite picking up Arya, and Samay Shrivastava leaked 37 from his three overs. By the time Aryan Bisht removed Wadhera in the 18th over, India needed only two runs, and the result was inevitable.
Brief scores: Oman 135/7 (Hammad Mirza 32, Wasim Ali 54*; Suyash Sharma 2/12, Gurjapneet Singh 2/37) lost to India A 138/4 in 17.5 overs (Harsh Dubey 53*, Naman Dhir 30, Nehal Wadhera 23; Jay Odedra 1/18).
