India vs Hong Kong, 4th Match, Group A at Dubai, Asia Cup, Aug 31 2022 - Match Result

And that's that! India qualify into the Super 4s. We'll see you tomorrow for the first of our knockouts - Bangladesh take on Sri Lanka. We'll see you then! Thank you for your company. On behalf of Thilak and Hemant, this is Sreshth saying bye bye.

Time for the presentation.
Losing captain Nizakat Khan: "I think the way we started with the ball, we were amazing till 13th over, fielding was good too. But we slipped after that, especially in the death overs, but the way Suryakumar batted, it was good to watch. I think it [Asia Cup] was a big opportunity for all the boys. I know we were away for a long time, boys were playing with injuries, credit goes to them, very proud of them. I think we're going to sit down tomorrow, we will look at our death bowling, we will improve in the next game."

Rohit Sharma: "We batted pretty well to start with, and got to a very good score at the end, and came out and bowled reasonably well. Thought we could have done slightly better with the ball. Honestly the kind of innings that [Suryakumar] played today, the words will be short. Every now and then, he comes up with such kind of knocks. With the confidence he's got, he's going to come out and bat fearlessly, and some of the shots he played today, they are not in the books. The shot selection was also crucial, we know he can play all around the park, and that's what he did today. [Flexibility] It is something we want to keep in our minds. We've also informed the group about this. Most of the guys are ready to take the opportunity and bat wherever they need to. We can talk about flexibility but you have to go out there and do it too. When we see the right match-ups, we're going to try and use that."

Suryakumar Yadav, Player of the Match: "Some of [my shots] are predetermined, because this format is about how you prepare when you go in to bat, but it's important to stay in the present when you go out there. [The pitch] was a little slow, watching from outside, but my plan was clear. My role was to take the tempo up and express myself. [Adapting to different roles] I think you've got to be flexible, you should be good to bat at any number. I really love and enjoy it."

Babar Hayat: "I think we were chasing around 200, so we had to play our shots. I was playing my shots and they were coming off nicely. The way we've played in Oman and here we did well. Our fielding and batting was good - lots of positives to take for the next game. Couple of guys bowled well too."

9.25pm So India win by 40 runs but seeing Rohit Sharma's expressions, it appears this wasn't the perfect game for India by any standards. The smiles aren't there among the India players, but Rohit does take a moment to pat Suryakumar Yadav on the back as the two teams start to shake hands.

Hong Kong hit 33 off the last 12 balls - another spirited performance against India in the Asia Cup from the team.

The experienced India bowlers came to the fore - with Bhuvneshwar, Chahal and Jadeja conceding only 48 runs in 11 overs between them. 97 runs conceded in eight overs between Arshdeep and Avesh, a rare off day with the ball for the left-arm seamer.

Babar Hayat and Kinchit Shah impressed with 71 runs between them, but their strike-rates weren't too high. McKechnie and Zeeshan did entertain at the back end though.

However, we saw two impressive batting innings in the first innings. Virat Kohli getting his 31st half century to finish on an unbeaten 44-ball 59 but the batter of the day was Suryakumar Yadav of course - who hit 60 of his 66 runs in boundaries for an innings strike-rate of 261.53

Manoj: "This is not at all a convincing victory against a team like HK. Team India should rethink about their combination for the world cup. Need batters who can bowl a couple of overs and bowlers who can contribute 10-15 odd runs with bat "

Mukhtar : "150 score will be winning score for Hong Kong to build their confidence"

53 needed off six balls. So mere formality this over. India one over away from securing a Super 4 spot, along with Afghanistan. That makes Hong Kong v Pakistan a virtual knockout.

Can Avesh avoid conceding 50? Been a difficult evening in the office for him. KL Rahul helping him change his field.

Last two overs.

Mohit : "Breath of the fresh air, seems like Kohli has started enjoying this game again."

Bhuvi is back.

H. Prasanna : "Now that India have won the game, they are giving Hong Kong some batting practice before the Pak game. 4d Chess!"

Gaurav : "How about VK the all rounder? I still remember him saying in his U19 video bio - he is an all rounder " -- I remember the "right-hand batsman, right-arm quick bowler" comment!