Virat Kohli's half-century and Suryakumar Yadav's blazing 68 off just 26 balls, which included 6 fours and 6 sixes, helped India defeat Hong Kong by a comfortable 40 runs in the fourth match of the Asia Cup 2022 in Dubai. An unbeaten 98-run third-wicket partnership between Kohli and Suryakumar helped India post a massive total of 192/2 in 20 overs as Kohli rediscovered his form. Hong Kong managed to score only 152/5 in reply in 20 overs.
With this win India sealed their spot in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup.
Nizakat Khan, the captain, chose to field first after winning the toss. KL Rahul struggled throughout his shaky 36 off 39 ball, 92.30 strike rate innings, and captain Rohit Sharma only played a cameo of 21 from 13 balls. Then the Virat-Suryakumar show started, as the pair, who reached their respective fifties, put on a strong performance to help their side attain a score of more than 190. Haroon Arshad, who conceded 53 runs in just three overs, ended up being the most expensive bowler for Hong Kong.
Nizakat Khan and Yasim Murtaza opened the innings for Hong Kong and they only made 10 and 9 runs respectively. Kinchit Shah amassed 30 off 28 while Babar Hayat produced a strong hand of 41 off 35. Zeeshan Ali scored 26 runs off of just 17, but Hong Kong dropped 40 runs short, making the target appear far out of reach. The winner of the match between Pakistan and Hong Kong will advance as the second team from this group after India, who have now swept their way into the Super 4. Suryakumar Yadav was named Player-of-the-Match for his brilliant innings that ended up winning the game.
Brief scores: India 192/2 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 68*, Virat Kohli 59*) beat Hong Kong 152/5 in 20 overs (Babar Hayat 41; Ravindra Jadeja 1/15) by 40 runs.