UAE batter Alishan Sharafu hailed the quality of India's players ahead of their Asia Cup opening match in Dubai on Wednesday, saying they are one of the best sides in the world.
"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," Sharafu told ANI.
India and the UAE, placed in Group A, will face-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 tournament without having played much T20 cricket recent, with their last assignment being the five-match
UAE, who recently played in the T20I tri-series against Pakistan and Afghanistan, lost every match but gained valuable experience going into 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 said.
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