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Asia Cup: UAE's Kerala-born batsman Sharafu excited about facing Bumrah
The 22-year-old, who scored a sparkling half-century in the Sharjah tri-series against the Shaheen Shah Afridi-led Pakistan attack, is likely to open the innings against India
- PUBLISHED: Tue 9 Sept 2025, 10:12 PM UPDATED: Wed 10 Sept 2025, 9:51 AM
It was only a few days ago that UAE batter Alishan Sharafu scored a sparkling half-century (68 off 51 balls, 4 fours, 4 sixes) in the Sharjah tri-series against the Shaheen Shah Afridi-led Pakistan attack.
Now the Kerala-born cricketer is itching to open the batting in the UAE’s opening game against India at the Asia Cup.
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The 22-year-old, who smashed a T10 record with a blistering 146 off 42 balls in 2020, is relishing the challenge of batting against Jasprit Bumrah, widely hailed as the greatest fast bowler in the world today.
“I'm super excited to have the opportunity to play him. And, hopefully, it's a memorable one,” Sharafu told the Khaleej Times on Tuesday.
“Everyone in the team is excited because he is such a great bowler. I think it's going to help us quite a bit if we play that sort of quality bowlers in international cricket.”
For someone who loves hitting sixes, Sharafu is not going to change his batting style against Bumrah and the rest of the Indian bowlers in the Group A clash at the Dubai International Stadium.
“I don't think you can necessarily change what you do, because obviously, you just have to trust your skills and your ability and do what has helped you reach this stage,” he said.
“And we've just been told one thing that ‘do not play the name that's coming up against us, just play the ball according to the merit of it’.
“So you just have to back your abilities and your skills, and just do the basics right. There are some big opponents in this tournament, but we just want to focus on what we've trained for and what we can do. So, we will just go out there and play some good cricket, and not worry about the opposition.”
Playing the ILT20, the UAE’s IPL-style T20 league, has also helped the country’s youngsters to take the game to the next level.
“The ILT20 obviously has given us so much exposure; it has given us the chance to play some of the top bowlers in world cricket. So in terms of experience, that's really good for us,” he said.
“But obviously, these Indian bowlers, some of us have not faced before, so that's going to be a first time. And we are really excited about this challenge.”
Rituraj Borkakoty is Sports Editor and has spent more than two decades writing on his sporting heroes. He also loves an underdog story, so if you have one, share it with him. He would love to bring it to life.
