NEW DELHI: Captain Suryakumar Yadav's gesture during India's opening Asia Cup match against UAE at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday won the hearts of cricket fans, as he truly embodied the spirit of the game.

The incident took place in the 13th over of UAE's innings when batter Junaid Siddique missed a pull shot off Shivam Dube. Siddique pointed towards the towel that had slipped from Dube's waistband while he was running into the bowl. However, in the process, Siddique forgot to get back inside the crease. Sensing the opportunity, Sanju Samson wasted no time and underarmed a direct hit at the stumps.

Replays from the third umpire confirmed that Siddique's foot was outside the crease, and the 'OUT' signal was displayed on the big screen. However, before the decision could stand, Suryakumar chose to withdraw the appeal, allowing the batter to continue his innings.

The gracious act had no bearing on the outcome, as UAE were bowled out for just 57 runs shortly after.

Kuldeep Yadav spun a web around the UAE batters, returning astonishing figures of 4 for 7 in just 2.1 overs. The left-arm spinner made a stunning comeback to white-ball cricket after spending India's five-Test tour of England on the bench.

India hardly broke a sweat while chasing the 58-run target, wrapping up the game in just 4.3 overs to register an emphatic nine-wicket win and begin their Asia Cup campaign on a dominant note.

Up next, India will take on arch-rivals Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday, a clash already billed as the marquee encounter of the group stage.