Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket Players
Indian-origin talent powers UAE's Asia Cup 2025 team
Asia Cup: Here's all you need to know about the six Indian-origin cricketers in the UAE squad.
Suryakumar Yadav's India will begin their Asia Cup 2025 campaign on Wednesday against the United Arab Emirates. On paper, there is no contest between the two teams; there is one definite winner. However, as the saying goes, stranger things have happened in cricket. The T20 format often gives underdogs the best chance to script upsets, which is why India won’t take anything for granted. A glance at the UAE squad for the Asia Cup shows six players of Indian origin, each capable of punching above their weight on the big stage. They are Harshit Kaushik, Simranjeet Singh, Dhruv Parashar, Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma, and Rahul Chopra.
To begin with, the UAE is coached by former India batter Lalchand Rajput. Notably, he served as Team India's manager during the 2007 T20 World Cup, when MS Dhoni's young side defeated Pakistan in the final at Johannesburg's Wanderers Stadium to lift the inaugural title.
Full UAE squad for the Asia Cup: Muhammad Waseem (Captain), Alishan Sharafu, Rahul Chopra (Wicketkeeper), Asif Khan, Muhammad Zohaib, Harshit Kaushik, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Saghir Khan, Haider Ali, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Aryansh Sharma, Dhruv Parashar, Matiullah Khan, Ethan DSouza, Simranjeet Singh
On that, let us briefly introduce the six Indian-origin players in the UAE squad for the Asia Cup.
Harshit Kaushik
The 28-year-old has played three T20Is for the UAE. Harshit, a bowling all-rounder, made his debut earlier this month in the T20 Tri-Nation Series against Afghanistan and Pakistan. In the three matches he played, Harshit managed only 22 runs with the bat and went wicketless with the ball. A left-handed batter and a left-arm orthodox spinner, he is yet to make a significant impact.
Simranjeet Singh
Simranjeet, who hails from Ludhiana in Punjab, has a story that feels straight out of a movie. As a youngster, he famously bowled to Shubman Gill in the nets when the current India Test captain was just 12 years old. Years later, he found himself stranded in Dubai during the Covid-19 lockdown, a twist of fate that saw him stay back, take up coaching young players, and eventually earn a place in the UAE national team. Now 35, he has represented the UAE in 5 ODIs and 12 T20Is, collecting 25 wickets across the two formats.
Asia Cup LIVE BLOG: India vs UAE Asia Cup Live Updates
Dhruv Parashar
The 20-year-old all-rounder Parasher has featured in nine ODIs and 23 T20Is for the UAE, scoring nearly 300 runs across formats. In the Tri-Nation Series against Afghanistan and Pakistan, he managed 34 runs and picked up one wicket. He also turned out for the Desert Vipers in the ILT20, though he couldn't quite make a mark in the high-profile tournament.
Alishan Sharafu
Sharafu stands out as one of the most experienced players in the UAE squad, having featured in multiple T20 leagues. In the ILT20, he has represented both Dubai Capitals and Abu Dhabi Knight Riders. For the UAE, he has turned out in 53 T20Is and 24 ODIs, amassing 1,249 T20I runs with a highest score of 90 not out. Most recently, he grabbed headlines with a blistering 68-run knock against Pakistan in the Tri-Nation Series, a knock that left Salman Ali Agha's side under real pressure.
Aryansh Sharma
Born in Ghaziabad, India, Aryansh moved to the UAE with his family when he was just two years old. Now 20, he first represented the nation at the 2022 U19 World Cup in the West Indies before featuring in the 2023 Asia Division One Qualifier for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. His progress earned him a senior call-up in March 2023 for the Nepal Tri-Nation Series, where the UAE secured qualification for the Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off. Since then, he has played 15 T20Is, scoring 365 runs.
Rahul Chopra
At 30, Chopra is among the most seasoned players in the UAE setup and also brings franchise experience from the ILT20, where he turned out for the Dubai Capitals. In the recent Tri-Nation Series, he underlined his big-match temperament with an unbeaten 52 against a formidable Afghanistan attack featuring Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, Mohammad Nabi, and Fazalhaq Farooqi. For the UAE, he has played 29 T20Is, amassing 600 runs with a career-best score of 80.
