Dubai 31 August : Suryakumar Yadav’s firework display in the final seven overs and with Virat Kohli’s 31st T20I fifty, propelled India to a colossal score of 192/2 against Hong Kong in Asia Cup Group A match at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday.At 94/2 in 13 overs, as KL Rahul’s battle ended at the 36th ball, Suryakumar walked in and changed the course of India’s match.
By using drives, slashes sweeps and scoops in addition to an incredibly wrist-play, he brought out a assault of boundaries against Hong Kong’s bowlers, remaining unbeaten with the score of 68 off just 26 balls, smacking six fours and sixes.
His stroke-play made the other players in the side appear like they were batting on a different pitch.
Suryakumar also played the 98-run score in only 42 balls with Kohli who scored the figure of 59 in 44 balls and hit three and four sixes.He also took a few shots in the end , as India scored an impressive 78 runs in the final five overs.
For Hong Kong, who did excellent in keeping India to 70 at the halfway mark and also managed to keep Rahul as well as Kohli at bay with their precise lines and lengths.However, on a slippery pitch, they didn’t know the answer and were completely clueless in the face of Suryakumar and his dazzling stroke play after choosing to bowl first.
After a cautious beginning, Rohit Sharma broke the chains by dancing across the field and smashing an over Haroon Arshad’s head.KL Rahul hit Arshad for an eight over the deep square leg with an unforced hit, and Rohit finished the 22-run game with the boundary that was punched between the cover and point.
With Rahul taking his time to determine his timing Rohit kept on being aggressive by launching a boundary right over Ayush Shukla’s head.However, the young pacer got the last laugh when Rohit was not on time in taking off-cutter and slid over the top edge to the side, diving to mid-air.
Hong Kong bowling at slower pace, mostly bowling back of length and imposing in their tight lines meant that Rahul and Kohli were largely unnoticed for 3.2 overs.Rahul broken the shackles in the ninth over when he whipped off wrists to score six overs long mid-wicket deep off Aizaz Khan.
Kohli finally scored his first boundary on the 20th ball he faced, soaring across the field to smash over the head of Mohammad Ghazanfar.Even though Rahul wasn’t at his best and his desperate attempt at a reverse sweep failed working, Kohli smashed the 50 stand of the team in 7.5 overs with an impressive slog-sweep off Ghazanfar.
Rahul’s struggle was tepid and was over at 36 after 39 balls after he tried to pull the sweep of an Ghazanfar delivery off the stump however, it was forced to take an edge in front of the wicketkeepers catching the rebound off the chest.
Suryakumar began to play with back-to-back sweeps in the deep square leg regions off Murtaza.
He then scored the third boundary in six balls, by sweeping hard past a fine leg that was mis-fielded off Shukla.
Kohli increased the ante by swiping down the field and soaring Aizaz Khan with six balls over the deep mid-wicket.
Suryakumar was able to get away and slash hard over the short third man to score four before scooping the ball that followed over the fine leg for six as 20 balls came from the over.
Suryakumar increased the ante by striking Shukla to back-to-back fours off Shukla with a slap across the cover and a follow-up slash through a the third man who was short.
After having fought off stumping appeals and lbw, he brought out an amazing flick of his toes to score an over-deep square leg.
After achieving the fifty mark in 40 balls, Kohli deposited a six off Ehsan Khan, slipping on one leg before picking the ball up well to send it over the mid-wicket fence.In the closing game, Suryakumar swung his arms for consecutive sixes over the cover of Arshad and the second of which brought him to fifty in 22 balls.
He was not done yet, showing the full-face of the bat while soaring across the ground for an unbeaten three-six of sixes.
He also scored the fourth six of the over by dragging over the fine leg to assist India achieve a score that seemed to be a distant possibility at the half-way point.
Brief Scores: India 192/2 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 68 not out, Virat Kohli 59 not out; Mohammad Ghazanfar 1-19, Ayush Shukla 1-29) against Hong Kong
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