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The Indian cricket team defeated Hong Kong by 40 runs in their second and final Group A fixture of the Asia Cup 2022 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday, August 31.

Suryakumar Yadav’s blitzkrieg knock of unbeaten 26-ball 68 and Virat Kohli’s 59 off 44 balls powered India to 192/2 in their 20 overs. In reply, Hong Kong could only manage 152/5 in their 20 overs as they succumbed to a defeat in their opening match of the tournament.

On the other hand, with two wins from two matches, India became the second team after Afghanistan to qualify for the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup 2022 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Earlier, India were put into bat after Hong Kong captain Nizakat Khan won the toss and opted to bowl first.

Openers KL Rahul and captain Rohit Sharma got India off to a decent start as they scored 38 runs in 4.4 overs before young pacer Ayush Shukla removed the Mumbai Indians skipper for a 13-ball 21.

Virat Kohli joined KL Rahul at the crease as the duo looked to build a strong foundation for the middle-order batters to follow.

However, the Hong Kong bowlers used the slow conditions in the middle overs to keep both Rahul and Kohli quiet.

Rahul struggled to get going as he perished to leg-spinner Mohammad Ghazanfar for 36 off 39 balls at the end of the 13th over.

Batting at number four, in-form Suryakumar Yadav continued his impressive form as he smashed back-to-back sweeps through deep square leg area to get his innings off to a quick-fire start.

The Mumbai Indians star batter and Virat Kohli decided to attack the Hong Kong bowlers to change the pace of the game.

Meanwhile, Kohli notched up his 31st T20I fifty to equal Rohit’s record for most half-centuries in the shortest format of international cricket.

At the other end, Surykumar Yadav piled more pressure on Hong Kong as he played some eye-catching scoops and drives to bring up his sixth fifty in T20I cricket.

World’s third-ranked T20I batter Surya clobbered four sixes off Haroon Arshad to remain unbeaten on 68 off just 26 balls to help India post 192/2 in their allotted 20 overs.

Interestingly, Yadav and Kohli accumulated 78 runs in the final five overs - which is India’s third-highest runs in the death overs in T20Is.

Chasing a daunting target of 193, Hong Kong were quickly put on the backfoot as left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh picked the wicket of opener Yasim Murtaza for run-a-ball nine.

Babar Hayat and skipper Nizakat Khan forged a 39-run partnership for the second wicket to take Hong Kong past the 50-run mark.

Just when it seemed Hong Kong were back in the game, Nizakat Khan was back in the pavilion after an unfortunate run-out.

Babar Hayat played a scintillating knock of 41 runs off 35 balls before left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja bagged his important wicket.

Hong Kong batters Kinchit Shah (30) and Zeeshan Ali (26 not out) played some decent cameos, however, the associate nation still fell short by 40 runs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja and Avesh Khan picked one wicket each for India.

Suryakumar Yadav was adjudged the Player of the Match for his match-winning knock.

India will lock horns with the second-placed team in Group A in their first Super 4 clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday, September 4. The match will start at 7:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).