Asia Cup 2022: Virat Kohli humled by Hong Kong's gesture, opposition salutes former captain
IND vs HK: Rohit Sharma-led Team India earlier on August 31, 2022, took on team Hong Kong in the second match of their Asia Cup campaign. Before this India had locked horns against Pakistan and they successfully won the match by a margin of 5 wickets. With a win over Hong Kong, the Indian team has straightaway qualified for the super 4 stages of the Asia Cup and they await their next opponent. if Hong Kong manages to beat Pakistan, they go into the super 4 stages, but it is always easier said than done.
The ongoing Asia Cup which is being played in the T20I format is a kind of dress rehearsal for the Asian teams ahead of the T20I World Cup which will be played in Australia later this year. The Indian team too is gearing up for this marquee event and they have ample time on their hands to perfect their plans. Team Hong Kong won the toss and decided to field first. KL Rahul was at the eye of the storm as he played pretty mediocre innings of 36 off 39 deliveries with Rohit Sharma at the other end who was dismissed cheaply on 21 off 13 deliveries. But it was Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav's partnership which propelled India's score to 192/2.
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Virat Kohli, who hasn't enjoyed a great run at the international level for the past two years is finally showing glimpses of transforming into the batsman he once was. With 94 runs in the ongoing tournament, the former India skipper is India's highest run scorer so far. Repeating his heroics, Virat Kohli scored a swashbuckling 59* off 44 deliveries with 1 four and 3 sixes. With a healthy strike rate of 134.09, Kohli steadied India's ship, an art form he is adept at. India ended up winning the match by 40 runs. But amidst all the fan frenzy and high-voltage cricketing action, it was team Hong Kong who won hearts all across the globe.
In a subtle display of sportsman spirit, team Hong Kong gifted their national jersey to the former India captain which read "Virat, thank you for inspiring a generation. We stand with you. There are many incredible days ahead. With strength, With love, Team Hong Kong". The former India captain shared a picture of this priceless jersey on his official Instagram account and thanked Hong Kong for this gesture. Virat wrote, "Thank You Hong Kong Cricket, this gesture is truly humbling and very very sweet".
Teams
Hong Kong XI: Nizakat Khan(c), Yasim Murtaza, Babar Hayat, Kinchit Shah, Aizaz Khan, Scott McKechnie(w), Zeeshan Ali, Haroon Arshad, Ehsan Khan, Ayush Shukla, Mohammad Ghazanfar
India XI: Rohit Sharma(c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant(w), Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh
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