UAE is our home: Captain Muhammad Waseem hoping to give India a run for their money

India take on UAE in their Asia Cup 2025 opener on Wednesday, September 10. This would be a good chance for the UAE side to face some top-quality players in the T20I format. Speaking ahead of the game, UAE captain Muhammad Waseem sounded confident about the team's ability and their mastery of the home conditions.

Despite being held in the UAE, the tournament is being hosted by the Indian Cricket Board, who are the hosts of the tournament this year. Speaking ahead of their opener, Waseem said that his team has been training hard and will look to execute their plans against Suryakumar Yadav's Indian team.

"We will not take it as a big match because all the teams are good in front of you, so all the matches will be the same. We are working hard in the heat, and we will only follow our plan. Whatever we have learned and whatever we need to do on that day, we will do it. Rest, the result is up to the game," Waseem told ANI.

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UAE recently lost all their matches in the tri-series held against Afghanistan and Pakistan. In their last match of the series, UAE nearly beat Rashid Khan's side. They ended up falling short by just 4 runs.

Asked about the plans against some of the Indian superstars, Waseem said that they had not made any individual plans for India players.

"No, we have not made any individual plan for any particular player. We have created a plan for 6-7 batters for the whole team. We will not give in to their strength. We will play carefully with their wicket-taker bowler, and whoever we can charge, we have made such a plan. If the unit is more, the role of the spinners can increase," he explained.

"We play a lot of cricket here. We can also say that India and Pakistan play a lot of cricket here. But it is our home. So we will try our best to take advantage of it and play good cricket," he concluded.

Focus will be on the Indian cricket team, who are being considered as heavy favourites to lift the trophy. The UAE team will hope to give Suryakumar Yadav's side a run for their money.