India beat Hong Kong by 40 runs to progress to the Super-4 stage.
India and Hong Kong clashed in Match 4 of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 in Dubai on Wednesday (August 31), with the Rohit Sharma-led side coming out on top rather easily by 40 runs to seal their berth in the Super-4 stage of the tournament.
Hong Kong won the toss and elected to bowl first as India piled on 192/2 with Rohit Sharma (21), KL Rahul (36), Virat Kohli (59*) and Suryakumar Yadav (68*) being the run-scorers for the top-ranked T20I team in the world. At times Hong Kong's bowlers had the measure of the Indian batting but Kohli and Suryakumar broke free in the final seven overs to set up an imposing target.
Hong Kong replied with 152/5 as Babar Hayat (41) and Kinchit Shah (30) made valuable contributions. The target always seemed out of reach but the associate team ensured they were not outclassed by a much superior team on the night. India won by 40 runs and ensured their place in the next phase.
After the match, the Hong Kong players visited the Indian dressing room as its not every day that the associate teams get to play one of the heavyweight teams in the world like India. The players and support staff from both sides were seen chatting and taking pictures, as well as, mementos were signed by the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav for the Hong Kong team.
BCCI shared a video clip of the visit by Hong Kong on their social media handles. Watch here:
Hong Kong also gifted a jersey to Virat Kohli expressing their support to him to come out of a difficult patch in his career. The former Indian captain later thanked them for their gesture by sharing a picture of the jersey on his Instagram.
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Hong Kong will now face Pakistan on Friday in a ‘do or die’ clash to progress to the Super-4 stage. Its unlikely that they would be able to overcome Babar Azam & co. but one can expect another competitive game and lot of fight from the 'minnows' as they look to make a statement.