Former Indian captain Virat Kohli stormed back to form with a classy half-century against Hong Kong on Wednesday, August 31, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The world almost came to a standstill when Kohli brought his second T20I fifty this year.
Incidentally, Kohli took some time to take off in the game but soon got his rhythm back. Riding on his unbeaten 59 off 44 balls and a masterclass from Suryakumar Yadav (68* off 26), India posted 192 on the board. That proved to be enough as Hong Kong fell 40 runs short.
After winning the game by 40 runs, Virat Kohli received a gift from the Hong Kong team. The opposition presented him with a jersey with a heartwarming message on it. It 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.”
Virat Kohli was so touched by this gesture from the Hong Kong team that he shared the picture of the Hing Kong team jersey on his Instagram story. He wrote, “Thank you Hong Kong Cricket. This gesture is truly humbling and very very sweet.”
Hong Kong cricket gifted their jersey to Virat Kohli with a special message. pic.twitter.com/Nl63mvffgd
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 31, 2022
Defending champions India became the first team from Group A to book Super Four berth. After thrashing Pakistan by five wickets in their first game, they defeated Hong Kong to make it two in two in the group stage.
“There is a value for the half-century” – Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli’s knock vs Hong Kong
Former cricketer Aakash Chopra believes the half-century will keep Kohli in good stead ahead of the upcoming fixtures.
While it was not a dominating performance from the ace batter, Chopra felt Suryakumar Yadav’s swashbuckling knock at the other end allowed the former captain to play his own game. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra said:
“We were all waiting for Virat Kohli’s runs and eventually, the runs were scored as well. I will not say that it was a dominating knock because it was not. Eventually, there is a value for the half-century. Overall, Suryakumar Yadav played a big part in that partnership, he allowed Kohli to take his time.”
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