Suryakumar Yadav’s astonishing 68-run burst and Virat Kohli’s half-century helped India beat Hong Kong by 40 runs in the Asia Cup T20 match 2022 at Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday. Yadav and Kohli together scored an enormous 98 runs off just 42 balls that led India to score 192/2, after which Hong Kong managed to score 152/5 in their 20 overs. With the win, India grabs a place in the Super 4 stage of the tournament.
Hong Kong skipper Nizaakat Khan won the toss and put India to bat first. K. L. Rahul (36) and Rohit Sharma (21) have given a quick start but fizzle out earlier. Both couldn’t add many runs to the scoreboard as Rahul eventually fell for a 39-ball 36. Hong Kong managed to keep the run rate in check for a while. But after Rahul and Sharma left the ground, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav’s joint offer propelled India to a high score on a tricky pitch.
Having hit 6 fours and as many sixes, Suryakumar Yadav was unbeaten off just 26 deliveries and became player of the match. “I always try to play my natural game. I also try to play according to situations. If you are batting first, then you need to post a total on the board. The overs 7-15 are important because teams try to control the game. I just look to express myself. If it comes off, it’s okay and if I don’t succeed, then there is the next game. The experience has been really good”, Yadav said in the post-match press conference.
Kohli was also unbeaten on 59 off 44, with a boundary and 3 sixes. After the game, Kohli just bow down to Yadav for his brilliant knock. “Virat Kohli’s gesture at the mid-innings break was very heartwarming. I have never experienced it, I was just wondering why he is not walking back to the dressing room,” Suryakumar said about Kohli’s gesture.
Hong Kong failed to pick up wickets regularly and with a 2-wicket loss, India reached 192. The spinners Ehsan khan and Yasim Murtaza bowled really well in the middle phase against the top-class opposition. Hong Kong had a lot of belief coming into this game as for the first half an hour, they looked so good on the field.
Chasing a big total on a not-so-easy pitch, Hong Kong troubled a lot with the bat. They started well with Babar Hayat but they were always behind the required run rate. A couple of batters like Babar Hayat (41), Kinchit Shah (30), and Zeeshan Ali (26) batted well, but the Indian bowlers were reasonably good to get their team over the line.
While the top three reliable players went out, only Kinchit Shah mustered up a few runs in the middle phase. Scott McKechnie and Zeeshan Ali have got a few boundaries towards the end, but the game was already done by then.
With a couple of great innings at the beginning, and regular wickets at the right time, team India has got their second win in the tournament. All Indian pacers picked up a wicket each, but both Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh proved to be expensive. Avesh Khan has conceded in excess of 50 runs.
The spinners controlled the game well in the middle phase. Ravindra Jadeja has got a wicket as well along with a run-out. Virat Kohli bowled in an international match for the first time since 2016.
The Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma says that they batted pretty well to start with and got a good score. They bowled decently as well. Also, he admitted that it could have been better. He was short of words about Suryakumar Yadav as it was very pleasing watching him playing.
It was a spirited effort from the Hong Kong batters but the Indians are far too strong for them. India may not be happy with the match as India probably didn’t want to let Hong Kong reach 150. Anyways, India has secured their place in the Super 4. Now Hong Kong wants to beat Pakistan in the coming match to go for the next match of the tournament.
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