Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav during the match.© AFP
Star batsman Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav struck a half-century to help India advance to the Asian Cup Super Four stage with a 40-point win over Hong Kong on Wednesday. Kohli made 59, while Suryakumar batted 68 from 26, while the pair took an unbeaten score of 98 to send India to 192-2 after taking the lead in the Twenty20 tournament in Dubai. Hong Kong was limited to 152-5 in response as India recorded their second consecutive win to join Afghanistan in the next round of the six-nation tournament, which acts as a prelude to the T20 World Cup in October-November. But it was Suryakumar’s batting blitz that stood out as the number four made his way to a 22-ball fifty, finishing the innings with four sixes left in the final.
Hong Kong, which took the main draw after winning all three of their matches in the qualifiers in Oman, had largely held back India before losing its way when Suryakumar started to stall.
The 33-year-old Kohli, who is going through a lengthy batting slump and making 35 in his team’s opening win over Pakistan, also completed his 31st half-century in his 101st T20 international.
Skipper Rohit Sharma started cautiously before clubbing Hong Kong medium-tempo bowler Haroon Arshad for two sixes and a four in a 22-run third over.
Spinner Ehsan Khan delayed the scoring and sailor Ayush Shukla reaped the rewards in the next over when he took down Rohit with a slow off-cutter. He made 21.
Kohli entered to loud cheers from a sparse Indian crowd, but struggled to play clear against a disciplined bowling attack that kept the points low.
Kohli finally opened up to get a boundary with a straight drive from leg spinner Mohammad Ghazanfar and soon found some rhythm as he hit three sixes in his 44 ball knock.
KL Rahul and Kohli kept the score up with singles and deuces with occasional limits to score 56 runs before Ghazanfar broke through with Rahul’s wicket (36). The fast left-armed Arshdeep Singh struck early for India with the wicket of Yasim Murtaza, but Babar Hayat countered with some attacking shots.
Skipper Nizakat Khan fell on a direct throw from Ravindra Jadeja, who then knocked out Hayat for 41 with his left arm spin.
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Kinchit Shah (30) and Zeeshan Ali (26 not out) also played useful punches to narrow the margin of defeat.
Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will battle it out for a Group B Super Four spot in a do-or-die match on Thursday, after Afghanistan went clear with two wins.
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