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SPORTS SEPTEMBER 02, 2022 | The Indian Eye 42

ASIA CUP 2022

Kohli gets a relief, SKY goes ballistic

and Hong Kong team wins hearts

Asia Cup 2022 is being played in UAE, from August 27 through September 11. The six teams are divided into two groups
with India, Pakistan and a qualifying team in Group A. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are in Group B

OUR BUREAU

Dubai
irat Kohli scored his 31st
half-century on Wednesday,
Vequalling the record with Ro-
hit Sharma for scoring the most 50-
plus scores in T20Is. The former India
captain achieved this feat during In-
dia’s Group A tie against Hong Kong
in Dubai in the ongoing 2022 edition
of the tournament.
Kohli found much-needed form
in the match, scoring an unbeaten
59 of 44 deliveries with the help of a
boundary and three towering sixes.
He looked scratchy, to begin with, but
found the middle of the bat in the lat-
er stages of the innings.
He now has 31 half-centuries
in 93 innings from 101 matches. His
highest score was 94* which came
against the West Indies in Decem-
ber 2019. The 33-year-old is now tied
with Rohit Sharma who also has 31
half-centuries in 126 innings from 134
matches along with four centuries. Virat Kohli (ANI)
Babar Azam, David Warner,
Martin Guptill, and Paul Stirling are
the only players with more than 20 India’s sixth bowler on the night post a mammoth 192-2 against min- A product of the Indian Premier
scores of fifty or more in T20Is. No did a rather tidy job with the ball, giv- nows Hong Kong in the Asia Cup League, Suryakumar, who loves his
other batter has more than 30 such ing away just 6 runs in the one over Twenty20 tournament on Wednesday. tattoos and carries a soothing smile
scores. he bowled. He didn’t pick up a wicket, Suryakumar’s batting blitz stood under his gelled hair, made his debut
Virat also recently became the but an economy rate of 6 isn’t bad at out and was acknowledged by star for India last year and quickly became
first Indian player to represent India all, considering this was the first time batsman Virat Kohli who had the best the team’s go-to man in crunch situa-
in 100 matches across the three for- he was bowling in a T20I match since seat in the house at the non-striker’s tions with his aggressive approach.
mats, he joined Ross Taylor to be- 2016. end as the two put on 98 runs off 42 But on Wednesday his freakish
come the second player ever to do so. Overall, in international cricket, balls. “He came in and completely display of batting with audacious shots
In his 100th T20I match against Paki- Virat has bowled a total of 793 deliv- changed the momentum of the game including the sit-down lap hit over the
stan, Virat scored 35 of 34 calls before eries (641 in ODIs and 152 in T20Is) on a pitch that was not as easy as he fine-leg region for six to the flick-of-
getting out. and taken 4 wickets in each format made it look to bat,” Kohli said in the wrist hit over deep mid-wicket
Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 59 vs for a total of 8 international wickets a chat with Suryakumar for India’s were jaw dropping.
Hong Kong would have gone a long so far. His economy rate in ODIs is cricket board website. “Some of the shots are pre-de-
way in both silencing some of his crit- 6.22 and in T20Is it reads 8.05. “It was a brilliant knock. I have termined because this format is
ics and giving him a confidence boost. INDIA’S SURYAKUMAR YADAV seen so many from a distance when we about how you prepare when you
But what really broke the internet was played the IPL, but this was my first go into bat,” a smiling Suryakumar,
the sight of Virat bowling. Captain ndia’s Suryakumar Yadav makes experience of watching it very closely. known as SKY for his initials, told
Rohit Sharma threw the ball towards unconventional look cool and his I was completely blown away.” reporters after the win. “But it’s im-
the former skipper, asking him to Iattacking instincts makes him a Suryakumar struck six sixes in- portant to stay in the present when
bowl the 17th over of the Hong Kong force to reckon with for the Twenty20 cluding four in the last over to pul- you go out there.”
run chase. At that point, Hong Kong World Cup later this year in Australia. verise a hapless Hong Kong attack, The 31-year-old batsman, who
needed an improbable 84 runs in 24 Suryakumar smashed 68 off 26 balls who had India on the defensive ear- has hit six half-centuries and one
Continued at next page... >>
balls. to lift India from 94-2 in 13 overs to ly on. Continued at next page... >>

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