By Vipul Kashyap
Dubai [UAE], September 8 : UAE batter Alishan Sharafu acknowledged the quality of India's players ahead of their Asia Cup opener, highlighting match-winners like Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya who can turn the game around single-handedly.
He expressed excitement about playing against them, hoping to challenge them on the field.
While speaking to ANI, Sharafu said, "I think they are all quality players. If we have to take some names, like I said, Jasprit Bumrah or someone like Hardik Pandya. These guys are match winners and they can change the game on their own. I'm quite excited to go out there and have that experience of playing against them. Hopefully, we can give them a tough time."
India and the UAE, placed in Group A, will square off on Wednesday at the Dubai International Stadium, a clash that appears one-sided on paper, given the stature of the two teams. India is coming into the fixture without much T20I action, considering they were involved in a five-match Test series in England.
The UAE recently engaged in a T20I Tri-Series against Pakistan and Afghanistan. They lost every fixture, but gained valuable experience through their spirited performance before the Asia Cup.
"I think the boys are in a good space. Obviously, just finishing the tri-series against Afghanistan-Pakistan. We played against some good teams and we've had some quite close games. So, just coming from there and just having our camp, which has been going on for the last month. So, the boys are in a good space and looking for a good result," he added.
Sharafu praised the Indian team as one of the best sides in the world and said we just want to focus on the basics and just back our strengths.
"India is one of the best sides in the world. I think we just don't want to play against the names. We just want to play to the merit of the ball and just go out there and play some strong shots in terms of batting. We just want to focus on the basics and just back our strengths," he concluded.
The UAE, which is participating in the tournament for the first time since 2016, boasts immense talent, including captain Muhammad Waseem, power-hitter Asif Khan, and others.
UAE squad for Asia Cup: Muhammad Waseem (capt), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma (wk), Asif Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Ethan D'Souza, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Matiullah Khan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra (wk), Rohid Khan, Simranjeet Singh and Saghir Khan.
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