India vs Hong Kong Asia Cup 2022: Virat Kohli bowls in T20 for FIRST time after SIX years, WATCH

Virat Kohli, who had scored his 31st T20I fifty earlier in the day, came out to bowl the 17th over of the Hong Kong innings in the Asia Cup 2022 match.

Source: Twitter

Former India captain Virat Kohli is not regularly, when it comes to taking up the ball. After six long years – first time after 2016 T20 World Cup semifinals against West Indies – Kohli decided to roll his arm over in the India vs Hong Kong Asia Cup 2022 match in Dubai on Wednesday (August 31).

Kohli, who scored a half-century after a long time with the bat earlier in the day, gave away just six runs in the solitary over he bowled. The 33-year-old, who had scored his 31st T20I fifty earlier in the day, came out to bowl the 17th over of the Hong Kong innings. It was for the first time since the 2016 T20 World Cup semifinal match against West Indies in Mumbai, Kohli bowled in a T20 international match.

WATCH Virat Kohli bowling against Hong Kong here…

King bowling #ViratKohli #INDvHK pic.twitter.com/AWtzBbvsOH

— CS (@_C_S___) August 31, 2022

In that game, which was played at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 31, 2016, Kohli had dismissed WI opener Johnson Charles on the first ball of his spell. Overall, in 101 T20I matches till date, Virat has bowled on 12 occasions and has picked up 4 wickets, with his best figures of 1/13 coming against England at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on October 29, 2011.

After securing a spot in the Super Four stage of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022, star of the match Suryakumar Yadav said that he is ready to bat anywhere and added that it was a heartwarming gesture by Virat Kohli as the former India captain bowed to Suryakumar after the innings came to an end. Suryakumar Yadav’s blistering 68 not out, Virat Kohli’s 59 not out and Ravindra Jadeja’s quick fielding helped India secure direct qualification to the Super Four phase of the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 after beating Hong Kong by 40 runs here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

His blistering knock left Virat Kohli in awe as the former India skipper bowed to Suryakumar after the innings. “It was a heart-warming gesture by Virat Kohli. Because I’ve never seen it. I saw him not moving ahead and said let’s move ahead together. He has so much experience, I enjoyed batting with him. It is important to have someone experienced in a situation like this match. Because I may not have played so many games yet,” said Suryakumar in a post-match press conference.

Suryakumar’s batting blitz stood out. The number four batsman hit a fifty in just 22 balls and ended India’s innings with four sixes in the last over. Talking about his majestic knock, Suryakumar said, “The situation was such that I had to go to the crease and play fast. Because the wicket was a little slow in the starting, I talked to Virat Kohli, he said ‘just express yourself and do as you bat’. My plan was also very clear on how to bat so it was fun.”

(with ANI inputs)