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Netizens laud Suryakumar Yadav's ‘nice gesture’ for withdrawing run-out appeal against UAE batter in Asia Cup 2025
Netizens flooded social media with reactions after Suryakumar Yadav withdrew a run-out appeal against UAE batter Junaid Siddique in India’s Asia Cup 2025 clash.
Netizens were full of praise for Suryakumar Yadav after the India T20I captain withdrew a run-out appeal against UAE batter Junaid Siddique during the Asia Cup 2025 clash in Dubai on Wednesday. Many lauded the gesture as sportsmanship, even though replays had already confirmed Junaid was out of his crease.
The unusual moment came in the 13th over of UAE’s innings. Shivam Dube bowled a bouncer, and as Junaid backed away, a towel slipped from the bowler’s waist. The batter pointed towards it, signalling distraction, while wicketkeeper Sanju Samson collected the ball and threw down the stumps. The on-field umpire referred it upstairs, and the third umpire declared Junaid short of his ground. The ‘OUT’ decision flashed on the big screen, but Suryakumar called the appeal back, acknowledging that the towel had put the batter off.
The decision provided a brief stay of execution for UAE, but their innings unravelled quickly. They were shot out for 57 inside 14 overs against India’s disciplined attack. Kuldeep Yadav spun through the middle order with figures of 4 for 7, while Dube claimed 3 for 4. Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Varun Chakaravarthy were equally effective in ensuring the hosts never settled.
Not everyone agreed with India’s call. Former batter Sanjay Manjrekar criticised the decision on air, saying, “The towel coming off is not relevant. It is just a case of India trying to be nice to the UAE team.”
India then chased the target down with ease. Abhishek Sharma struck a brisk 30 before Shubman Gill (20*) and captain Suryakumar Yadav (7*) wrapped up the win in 4.3 overs. The side finished with nine wickets in hand and 93 balls to spare, underlining their dominance in Group A.
While the scorecard showed a one-sided contest, it was the towel-induced appeal withdrawal that became the biggest talking point of the night.
