India triumphed over Hong Kong by a convincing margin of 40 runs during the 2022 Asia Cup in Dubai on Wednesday. Suryakumar Yadav played an emphasised knock which compelled Virat Kohli to bow to him.
Architect of India's 40-run win over Hong Kong, middle-order batter Suryakumar Yadav was left humbled by the "heartwarming" motion from former skipper and top-order batter Virat Kohl. Following his sensational knock in the Asia Cup, the latter doffed his hat to his compatriot. Suryakumar slapped six sixes and as many fours in his superheated 26-ball 68-run knock against Hong Kong at the Dubai International Stadium, helping India seal a place in the Super Four stage of the competition on Wednesday. His startling innings outweighed the 44-ball 59 innings by Kohli, who bowed to Suryakumar in gratitude and glanced towards the dressing room, saying 'Kya hai yeh' [What is he?) after the Indian innings concluded.
"It was a heartwarming gesture from Virat Kohli. I have never experienced it. I was wondering why he wasn't walking ahead and then when I realised. I asked him to walk together. He is much more experienced than me," Suryakumar stated during the post-match press conference. He contributed to a 98-run with Kohli, lifting India to 192/2.
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"I enjoyed a lot batting with him. We talked about how to go about in the next few balls. He is such an experienced, and I haven't played many T20Is. So having the experience at that stage in the middle was crucial," added SKY. Put in to bat, openers Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul failed to transform their starts. Still, Kohli carried the innings jointly, scoring his maiden international half-century in over six months.
However, Suryakumar provided the much-needed momentum in the back-10, scoring his 50 off 22 deliveries. "The situation was such that I had to go to the crease and play fast. Because the wicket was a little slow initially, I talked to Virat Kohli, and he said, 'Just express yourself and do as you bat'. My plan was also apparent on how to bat. So, it was fun." India became the second team to qualify for the Super Four with the second consecutive win.
(With inputs from PTI)