India vs Hong Kong, Asia Cup 2022 Highlights: India beat Hong Kong by 40 runs, secure Super 4 spot

India defeated Hong Kong by 40 runs. Poor outings for Indian young pacers Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh. Both of them looked scratchy. At the end of the day, it was Suryakumar Yadav's knock that changed the course of the match. Virat Kohli must be feeling good as well after scoring his half-century. KL Rahul is another Indian cricketer who looked scratchy. 

This is poor bowling from Avesh Khan. He has lost his rhythm. He has conceded 21 runs in his last over.  Hong Kong need 53 runs in 6 balls.  IND: (192/2) vs HK (140/5 in 19 overs)  

Bhuvneshwar Kumar strikes! Ravi Bishnoi grabs a good catch. Kinchit Shah departs for 30. Hong Kong need 77 runs in 17 balls.  IND: (192/2) vs HK (116/5 in 17.1 overs)

Virat Kohli into the action. He is bowling after a gap of six years. Six came from Kohli's first over. Hong Kong need 78 runs in 18 balls.  IND: (192/2) vs HK (115/4 in 17 overs)

Avesh Khan gets a wicket. Aizaz Khan goes for 14. Slower ball at the stumps, Aizaz Khan moves leg-side for a heave and is early into his shot. The ball eludes the inside edge and crashes into the stumps. Hong Kong need 87 runs in 30 balls.  IND: (192/2) vs HK (106/4 in 15 overs)

Trust Ravindra Jadeja to turn an adverse situation his team’s way, be it with bat, ball or in the field. After playing a crucial role with the bat in the win over Pakistan, the all-rounder gave another example of his exemplary qualities in the other two departments of the game.  He affected a run-out on a free hit from Arshdeep Singh – when no other mode of dismissal was possible. He nailed a direct hit from point to find Nizakat Khan short when he had taken a couple of steps down the pitch before aborting the run. Hong Kong had made a decent start to the chase and even though it would be an exaggeration to say the Indians would have been worried at that stage, the underdogs were well in the game when Jadeja intervened. He then chipped in with four typically thrifty overs, returning figures of 1-15 to ensure the outcome. All in a day’s work for one of the premier all-format all-rounders in contemporary cricket. (Tushar Bhaduri)

Good comeback from Arshdeep Singh after conceding a boundary off the first ball. Seven runs come from his third over. Hong Kong need 95 runs in 36 balls.  IND: (192/2) vs HK (98/3 in 14 overs)

“Joke kaati-kitu irukaar Suryakumar Yadav!” (He is playing it as if it were a joke” That’s former India opener Abhinav Mukund on Tamil commentary after gasping at Suryakumar Yadav’s stunning six to bring up his hundred. Sitting next to him was another former India opener S Ramesh, the one with the languid wondrous wrists, who piped up: “Hardik Pandya looks stunned too and Rahul Dravid must be wondering, “what was that, we never played those shots in our time!”. Here is the shot. Just prior to release, Suryakumar had lunged across to the offside on a bent knee, suggesting he was going to sweep him over square-leg. The bowler adjusted to push it wider outside off stump. But Surya quickly re-adjusted his original thought, and somehow with great fluidity in the bat flow, sliced the ball over cover point for an outrageously skilled six. Read More

Jadeja removes the dangerous-looking Babar Hayat for 41.  Ravindra Jadeja to Babar Hayat, good length ball, pitching outside off stump, flatter trajectory, the batter goes after it but gets a leading edge towards Avesh Khan at short third man.That is his second catch of the match. 

He came. He hit. He made us #BelieveInBlue with a 5?0?.

How many ?? for #SuryakumarYadav's ?? knock?

DP World #AsiaCup2022 #AsiaCupT20 #TeamIndia #INDvHK pic.twitter.com/5ZS8btU6xi

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) August 31, 2022

Runs have dried for Hong Kong after the powerplay. India are operating with spinners (Ravindra Jadeja and Yuzvendra Chahal) from both ends. Only ten came from the last three overs. Hong Kong need 132 runs in 66 balls.  IND: (192/2) vs HK (61/2 in 9 overs)

Jadeja hits a bulls eye. A direct-hit and Nizakat Khan is out for 10 on a free hit. Hong Kong need 142 runs in 84 balls.  IND: (192/2) vs HK (51/2 in 6 overs)

Expensive over from Arshdeep Singh. Two free hits and 17 came from Arshdeep's over. Hong Kong need 142 runs to win the match in 90 balls. IND: (192/2) vs HK (51/2 in 6 overs)

First maximum for Hong Kong and Babar Hayat. He just stands and delivers. Next ball, Babar hammers one over mid-off for a boundary. Twelve runs came from Avesh's first over. Hong Kong need 159 runs to win the match in 90 balls. IND: (192/2) vs HK (34/1 in 5 overs)

Spin introduced into the attack. Ravindra Jadeja gives away only three runs in his first over. Hong Kong need 170 runs to win the match in 96 balls. IND: (192/2) vs HK (23/1 in 4 overs)

What a terrific shot by Babar Hayat. In the arc and out of the park. Seven came from Bhuvneshwar Kumar's second over. IND: (192/2) vs HK (19/1 in 3 overs)

FOUR AND OUT FOR MURTUZA! Arshdeep bounces him out. Good tumbling catch from Avesh Khan.  Hong Kong need 181 runs to win the match. IND: (192/2) vs HK (12/1 in 2 overs) 

Streaky, but Hong Kong won't mind it. A thick outside edge flies just over a leaping Ravindra Jadeja at backward point.   IND: (192/2) vs HK (12/0 in 1.5 overs) 

Hong Kong openers Nizakat Khan and Yasim Murtaza are out in the middle. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will start the proceedings for India. Hong Kong need 193 runs to win the match. IND: (192/2) vs HK (0/0 in 0 over) 

An aging, accurate and disciplined off-spinner with the skill to bowl yorkers at will. He also has sharp features and a wily mind. Hong Kong's 37-year-old spinner Ehsan Khan has so many attributes that reminds one of Zimbabwe great John Traicos, the legend of the 80s. Remember the frail and stingy off-spinner with the guile to regularly come up with '10 overs 20 plus runs' spells against the best teams in the world. Ehsan is a throwback when it comes to tactics. He doesn't give the batter space to swing their arms and foxes the batsmen in the air. In his spell he tied the Indians in knots. In his third over, the 17th of the innings, he gave away just 4 runs. And that too when Virat Kohli and Surya Kumar Yadav were at the crease. Most of his balls in the over were darted at the shoelaces. And when Surya was anticipating a yorker, Khan threw it wide and full way outside off but stayed within limits. In his final over, the 19th of the innings, India's IPL stars managed just one six. His final ball of the spell was a dot ball to Kohli. That and his figures of 4-0-26-0 against India would be something that Khan's grandkids would have to hear forever. (Sandeep Dwivedi)

"I haven't practised those strokes before, but when I was younger with my friends, we would play a lot of rubber ball cricket on hard surfaces. So the shots have come there. When I was sitting inside with Rishabh and Rohit bhai, I told them I want to get the tempo higher to try and reach around 170. I feel it is a good score on this wicket."

A flurry of sixes in the final over as Suryaakumar Yadav hits the ball to all parts of the ground. He finishes unbeaten on 68 from 26 balls. India plunder 54 runs in the last three overs with Suryakumar Yadav completing a 22-ball fifty. Virat Kohli scored his 31st T20I fifty. Hong Kong will need 193 runs to win the match. Stay tuned for the chase. IND: (192/2 in 20 overs) vs HK 

SKY's the limit! 50 for Suryakumar Yadav after just 22 deliveries. Sixth T20I 50 for Suryakumar Yadav. IND: (184/2 in 19.4 overs) vs HK 

Ehsan Khan to Virat Kohli, good length ball, pitching on off stump and right in the slot for Kohli to clear the front leg and thomp it towards deep mid-wicket for a humongous six. IND: (166/2 in 19 overs) vs HK 

First fifty of the tournament and it comes from the bat of Virat Kohli. A confidence booster for Kohli.50 no for 31 for Virat Kohli. IND: (165/2 in 18.5 overs) vs HK 

Effortless flick for a six by SKY. He joined Kohli in the 40s. WHat an innings it has bee so far from India's No 4.  IND: (153/2 in 18 overs) vs HK 

Back-to-back boundaries from Suryakumar Yadav bring up the 50-run stand for the third wickets in just 27 balls.  IND: (147/2 in 17.2 overs) vs HK 

Even by KL Rahul's standards, it was a crawl. The opener had only one attacking shot - a six off a free-hit - in the Powerplay, against Hong Kong. Rahul has returned to the Team India fold after an injury-forced layoff. In the first match at the Asia Cup, against Pakistan, he got out for a duck. He is allowed a bedding-in period. All said and done, though, such lack of intent, against an Associate nation, defied logic.  Rohit Sharma went on the attack mode from the outset and scored at a 160-plus strike rate before he perished in the fifth over. Rahul took his time and laboured to 16 off 20 balls after six overs. India's Powerplay score was a modest 44/1, which might not matter in a game against Hong Kong, but against tougher opponents, such slow burn could be counter-productive. Rahul eventually fell for 36 off 39 deliveries. He has a good record in T20Is - 1,831 runs from 57 games before this fixture. More often than not, however, he scores his own runs in this format.  (Shamik Chakrabarty)

 IND: (136/2 in 16.3 overs) vs HK 

20 came from Aizaz's over. Surya finishes it off with a six and four. Suddenly the pitch is looking different with Surya taking on the bowlers. IND: (134/2 in 16 overs) vs HK 

Great shot by Virat Kohli. Kohli skips down the ground and gets to the pitch of the ball before lofting a six over deep mid-wicket. SHeer timing.  IND: (120/2 in 15.1 overs) vs HK 

It's the 9th over and India's run rate hasn't picked up. On the third ball KL Rahul makes a sweet connection, it's a graceful effortless strike to the cow's corner.  Fans are celebrating the rare six. Finally, Rahul seemed to have judged the pace of the pitch and the frustratingly slow Hong Kong bowlers right. The next ball too is pitched on the line and length, Rahul knocks the ball and jogs across the pitch. The pundits watching the game aren't impressed. Leading the charge is Gautam Gambhir, sitting East Delhi MP who also is Lucknow SuperGiants mentor, the IPL franchise that Rahul leads. Gambhir says Rahul should have attempted to clear the boundary again as he was well set. He mentions how modern-day batters like Liam Livingstone would have gone for a second six and not gift the strike to their batting partners. He says that the days of openers batting deep till the 15 overs were behind us. In this T20 format, you are in the business now. How true it proved to be, Rahul made 36 from 39 balls and was out at the end of 13 overs. He should have gone for the second successive six. Rahul should know Big Brother is watching. (Sandeep Dwivedi)

IND: (114/2 in 15 overs) vs HK 

Back-to-back boundaries for Suryakumar Yadav. 100 up for India. Thirteen came from Yasim Murtaza's final over. He finishes off with 4-0-28-0. IND: (107/1 in 14 overs) vs HK 

Mohammad Ghazanfar breaks the 56-run stand between KL Rahul and Virat Kohli. KL Rahul falls for 36 runs off 39 balls. IND: (94/2 in 123 overs) vs HK 

The six brings up a 50-run stand for the second wicket between KL Rahul and Virat Kohli. Great shot by Virat Kohli, he slog swept it over deep mid-wicket for a maximum. IND: (94/1 in 12.5 overs) vs HK 

This has been quite a spell by Yasim Murtuza. The wily left-arm spinner has gave away just 14 runs from his three overs. He has managed to kept both the Indian batters quiet. KL Rahul's strike rate is below 100, while Kohli is scoring run-a-ball.  IND: (85/1 in 12 overs) vs HK 

Finally, some intent from Virat Kohli. Kohli skips down the track and hammers it over the bowler's head. Rahul Dravid was out in the middle during the strategic time break. Kohli has got the message from the coach.  IND: (80/1 in 11 overs) vs HK 

Weare halfway through and India are 70 for 1. Both KL Rahul and Virat Kohli are clearly struggling to get going. Hong Kong's bowling is also up to the mark. . IND: (70/1 in 10 overs) vs HK 

KL Rahul breaks the shackles with a six. A much-needed one for KL Rahul. Both KL Rahul and Virat Kohli are struggling to find the big shots. IND: (66/1 in 9 overs) vs HK 

Steady runs, steady on. India looking comfortable but need to pick up the pace to reach a good total. IND: (52/1 in 7 overs) vs HK 

Before the game against India, Hong Kong pacer Haroon Ahmed was used to playing the Little League. Oman, Nepal, Jersey were the kind of teams he had faced. One game against Ireland couldn't have given him the experience to deal with the best of white-ball batters, the icon of the world's biggest T20 league - KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma. After his first over, where he conceded 5 runs, he wouldn't be faulted to fancy himself a pacer of international quality. And then came the nightmarish 8-ball over where he conceded 22. Rohit and Rahul hit a six each but it was a "widest of wide" ball - the first bounce of which was where second slip could have been - that stood out. For the two Indian openers it was just another game, Haroon would want to forget this outing pretty soon but there were a couple of fans who will cherish the memory of this game forever. As a Rahul six sailed in the stands, the ball landed into the hands of two youngmen. While the Hong Kong players waited for the ball to return, they took selifes with the ball. (Sandeep Dwivedi)

IND: (49/1 in 6.4 overs) vs HK 

Had Steve Harmison been watching the game between India and Hong Kong he would have been haunted again by the wide-ball of the century he bowled in the 2006-07 Ashes opener in Brisbane. So wide that the ball eluded the keeper, the first slip and crash-landed at the second slip,.Or he might have felt a trifle relieved, or even had a chuckle, or could have even empathised with the bowler. For Hong Kong seamerHaroon Rashid produced a ball so wide that it landed on the practice pitch beside the centre pitch. It was an attempted slower ball—off a free hit as he had over-stepped when deliveringthe previous ball—that slipped out of his hand, floated and drifted outward and made a slow landing like a drunk bee. As the ball landed outside the pitch, it was deemed a no-ball. Haroon smiled sheepishly, as the teammates converged to commiserate him. (Sandip G)

IND: (44/1 in 6 overs) vs HK 

FOUR AND OUT FOR ROHIT SHARMA! Ayush Shukla gets the wicket. Aizaz Khan takes an excellent forward diving catch at mid-on. Rohit departs for 21. Virat comes in.  IND: (39/1 in 5 overs) vs HK 

HOLD THA POSE SKIP! This is Rohit Sharma at his very best. Pitched up, and Rohit Sharma hits it straight down the ground for a four. IND: (38/1 in 4.4 overs) vs HK 

When KL Rahul blasted a free-hit ball over deep midwicket for a six, it was a little big moment for him: breaking free of the self-imposed shackles. But the highlight was what followed. A fan at the stands nonchalantly cupped his palms the Aussie way to pouch the ball and … didn’t throw the ball into field of play. Instead, he whipped out his phone, took a selfie with the ball prominently in the frame, before urged by the people around him, he finally relented to get the ball back in play. If he gets a big one, Rahul might remember that six as a special turn-around moment but more than him, it’s that fan who has a ‘I was there’ moment safely stored in his phone gallery. (Sriram Veera)

IND: (33/0 in 4 overs) vs HK 

Rahul joins the party. It was free-hit, crowds were cheering 'we want sixer,' and Rahul gets the front leg out of the way and heaves it towards mid-wicket for a maximum! That will do a world of good to his confidence. Rohit Sharma finishes the over with a boundary. 22 came from Haroon's second over. IND: (28/0 in 3 overs) vs HK 

First maximum of India's innings. Some intent from Indian captain. A length ball from Haroon, Rohit charged down the track and lofted it over the bowler's head. IND: (15/0 in 2.4 overs) vs HK 

Excellent start by Ayush Shukla. The lanky pacer gave away just one run. KL Rahul is still looking tentative. IND: (6/0 in 2 overs) vs HK 

Rohit Sharma reaches 3500 T20I runs. IND: (5/0 in 1 over) vs HK 

3??5??0??0?? runs in T20I cricket for HITMAN! ?#TeamIndia have a steady start with 5 runs in the opening over!#OneFamily #AsiaCup2022 #INDvHK

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) August 31, 2022

Good first over from Haroon Arshad, just five came from it. Apart from the wide, he gave away only four singles.  IND: (5/0 in 1 over) vs HK

India are off the mark, courtesy of a wide. Interestingly, there are no slips in position for Haroon Arshad. KL Rahul would be looking to get some runs under his belt and he is off the mark with a single.  IND: (2/0 in 0.3 over) vs HK

This pitch has changed, it is white and no longer a green top. India's top three will get a chance to bat for a long time. This is a surface that Chahal will love, especially since he would be bowling second.

We are done with the national anthems. Indian openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul are out in the middle. Hong Kong are in the huddle. HERE WE GO!  IND: (0/0 in 0 over) vs HK

The average first innings score at Dubai International Cricket Stadium is 144 runs. Out of 62 games held at this Venue, 34 have gone in favour of team batting first while 27 have gone to the team batting second.

Nizakat Khan: We are going to bowl first. In Oman, we chased down well and that is what we are looking to do. The last time we played India, it was a good game and we know we did some mistakes and want to make sure we capitalize on that. We have the same team we played against UAE.

Rohit Sharma: We were going to bowl first as well. Looks like an even covering of grass and we need to bat well to get to a good score. We just want to continue to do what we are doing as a team. We don't want to look at the opposition and play good and hard cricket. We need to do our basics right, which is what got us a victory against Pakistan. One change: Hardik is rested considering how important he is for us, Pant comes in.

India XI: Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh

A look at #TeamIndia’s playing today. ?

1 change as Hardik Pandya has been rested and Rishabh Pant replaces him. https://t.co/9txNRez6hL… #INDvHK #AsiaCup2022 pic.twitter.com/jLYqBBja3R

— BCCI (@BCCI) August 31, 2022

Hong Kong XI: Nizakat Khan (capt), Babar Hayat, Yasim Murtaza, Kinchit Shah, Scott McKechnie (wk), Haroon Arshad, Aizaz Khan, Zeeshan Ali, Ehsan Khan, Ayush Shukla, Mohammad Ghazanfar

Hong Kong Playing XI:

Nizakat Khan (C)
Kinchit Shah
Aizaz Khan
Zeeshan Ali
Yasim Murtaza
Haroon Arshad
Ehsan Khan
Ghazanfar Mohammad
Ayush Shukla
Babar Hayat
Scott McKechnie (WK)#INDvHK #ACC #GetReadyForEpic #AsiaCup2022

— AsianCricketCouncil (@ACCMedia1) August 31, 2022

Hong Kong have won the toss and they have opted to field. Hong Kong are unchanged from their final qualifier against Oman. Rishabh Pant replaces Hardik Pandya in the playing XI.

It will be interesting to see if Captain Rohit Sharma experiments with the lineup to give some game time to the bench strength or go in with the same playing 11. It would be interesting to see whether India will play Rishabh Pant.

India lead Hong Kong 2-0. Both their previous two contests have been played in Asia Cups (2008, 2018) in the ODI format. 

India’s flamboyant all-rounder Hardik Pandya has jumped eight places to a best-ever fifth position on the latest ICC T20I all-rounder rankings after his excellent outing against Pakistan in the Asia Cup Dubai. Hardik claimed 3/25 and made 33 not out from just 17 balls, showing how vital his impact will be in India’s T20 World Cup campaign later in the year in Australia. Read More