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By K.R. Nayar From Dubai International Stadium At a time when calls to boycott the India-Pakistan Asia Cup match on September 14 are rampant, some fans in the UAE are keen to watch not just one group-stage match but they also hope for an India-Pakistan final! So, only time will tell whether it will be a double dose or not. A UAE cricket fan who never misses India-Pakistan matches even said that the least those who protest can do is close their televisions during the match and remain silent during that span. However, there are many Indian fans here, who, as a mark of protest, have decided to give this match a miss. Hence, for the first time, tickets are still available on the eve of the match. Organisers have put out a release on Friday saying a fresh batch of match tickets would be available. Sheila Razdan, who worked at the International Cricket Council for 17 years as an administrator and was also the Executive Assistant to Abdulrahman Bukhatir, who organised the first Asia Cup i...

By K.R. Nayar From Dubai International Stadium At a time when people prefer smart watches, smart appliances and smart phones, Bangladesh decided to play ‘smart cricket’ against Hong Kong at the Abu Dhabi Zayed Cricket Stadium. They beat Hong Kong by seven wickets with only 14 balls to spare, labelling it as ‘smart cricket’. Bangladesh’s middle-order batter Towhid Hridoy, who hit an unbeaten 35, while speaking at the post-match press conference said: “The goal was to play ‘smart cricket’ and win the first game instead of focusing on the run rate.” He hit out at the media, adding: “You (the media) would have had something to say had we lost today.”  Though Hridoy stated they preferred smart cricket, the fact is that they were cautious because in May 2025, Bangladesh had lost the series 2-1 to the UAE at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. So frankly, it was not smart cricket, as most likely the toppers in this group (called the group of death) with Afghanistan and Sri Lanka as the other...

By K.R. Nayar From Dubai International Stadium The India-UAE match was very short in the number of overs played but long on humour. There were more jokes than strokes as fans and journalists stole the show. The match had only limited action on the field, with UAE being bowled out for 57 and India winning by nine wickets in 4.3 overs. The entire match lasted just 17.4 overs — less than the 20 overs per innings — and there was more action off the field. The press box had a lot of entertainment, with comments on the quick finish as the match ended in less than two hours after the start. A few fans, too, made some interesting comments to wipe away their disappointment. Many had decided to arrive for the match only after their office hours. They had to walk from the faraway parking lot into the stadium and had hardly caught their breath in their seats when Indian opener Shubman Gill hit the winning shot. Some felt that India should not have been so ruthless with the UAE and could have o...

By K.R. Nayar From Dubai International Stadium Former Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar and former Indian opener Surinder Khanna have a special place in the history of the Asia Cup. Gavaskar was the first captain to lift the Asia Cup, and Khanna was the first Player of the Tournament in the inaugural edition of this tournament in 1984 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. A photo of Gavaskar lifting the Asia Cup, sporting a thick moustache and standing alongside Abdulrehman Bukhatir, who organised the event, and Khanna, is displayed prominently at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Link to Gulf News coverage of my story:   https://gulfnews.com/sport/asia-cup/recalling-the-first-asia-cup-with-sunil-gavaskar-and-surinder-khanna-1.500263925  Link to Rediff coverage of mystory:  https://www.rediff.com/cricket/special/asia-cup-when-gavaskar-khanna-stole-the-show/20250910.htm.  Sunil Gavaskar in front of the photo  lifting the first Asia Cup. Photos by K.R. Nayar Standi...

By K.R. Nayar From Dubai International Stadium So much is the hype for the India-Pakistan match that one gets the feeling whether the Asia Cup is only about this match.   Tickets for the match on September 14 are in huge demand than for any other match. Most journalists are also arriving only in time for this match, even skipping India’s opening match against UAE on September 10. Links to Gulf News coverage of my story:  https://gulfnews.com/sport/asia-cup/is-asia-cup-only-about-the-india-pakistan-clash-1.500262660  Links to Rediff coverage of my story: https://www.rediff.com/cricket/report/is-asia-cup-only-about-india-pakistan-game/20250909.htm  All the Asia Cup 2025 captains line up at the Dubai International Stadium  A question from Shahid Hashmi, a veteran Pakistan journalist on whether there are any instructions to not display any aggression on the field following the tension between the two nations, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav said: “Aggressio...

By K.R. Nayar Dubai-based cricket enthusiast and leading businessman Shyam Bhatia’s focus and determination is comparable to that of the world’s best batter. His chase towards the goal he’d set is like that of a batter who piles up runs on the way to a tall score. His aim was to get the autographs of all the World Cup-winning captains (right from the first edition) on a collage of all their paintings, and he managed to achieve it. Today, this autographed collage is proudly displayed in his museum. It catches your eye as soon as you enter and stands as a symbol of what a passionate cricket lover can achieve—reaching out to all captains who have lifted the World Cup in the 50-year history of the event. The first part of the painting presenting the captains between 1975 to 2011  Bhatia has witnessed all World Cups since 1975 at historic venues around the world, and hence he wanted the winning captain’s signatures on the paintings as a prized possession in his library on the 50th ann...

By K.R. Nayar Dubai.   There was a time when Kerala cricketers never got a mention in the international arena. There was also a time when the Kerala team barely ever won more than one match in a Ranji Trophy season. However, that’s not the case now. Today, Kerala are the finalists of the Ranji Trophy. Only a few like Tinu Yohannan, S. Sreesanth, and Sanju Samson could make it to the Indian team from Kerala. For the rest, it was just a dream to play international cricket. Chundangapoyil Puthiyapurayil Rizwan, popularly known as CP Rizwan, who announced his retirement from international cricket on September 2, 2025, is a cricketer from Kerala who chased a near-impossible dream and left his mark in international cricket. (This is my exclusive interview with Rizwan for India's leading media portal Rediff)  https://www.rediff.com/cricket/special/c-p-rizwan-malayalee-who-captained-uaes-cricket-team/20250905.htm.    CP Rizwan... a dream journey  Rizwan’s journey ...