Kowloon: In a thrilling match against the United Arab Emirates, India suffered their second straight loss, ending their dreams of winning their first Hong Kong Super Sixes championship.
India played the UAE in a match they had to win after losing badly to Pakistan in their initial game. After a valiant chase, they were defeated by one run.
After winning the toss, India chose to bowl first, and they got off to a strong start when Bharat Chipli got rid of UAE skipper Asif Khan on the first ball. India’s momentum, however, swiftly dwindled as Muhammad Zuhaib (17 off 5) and Khalid Shah (42 off 10) launched a vicious attack, scoring 58 runs in two overs.
Zahoor Khan’s brilliant 37 off 11 balls gave a strong finish as the UAE’s middle order kept chipping in, helping them reach an intimidating 130 in their six overs.
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With three wickets for 31 runs in his two overs, Stuart Binny was India’s most outstanding bowler.
Manoj Tiwary was promoted to open with Chipli, who had just achieved an undefeated fifty in the previous game, as part of India’s reshuffled response. Tiwary had a short stay, scoring only ten off three balls, while Chipli reached 20 before falling on the final ball of the first over.
With a scorching 43 off ten balls, including three fours and five sixes, Captain Robin Uthappa took the lead. However, India’s progress stagnated as partner Kedar Jadhav struggled to establish his rhythm.
With a decisive 44 off 11 balls, Binny took charge when Uthappa was run out. After five overs, India needed to score 32 runs off the last six balls. The result was 27 off five after a wide and a four off the opening two.
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By hitting Asif Khan for four straight sixes, Binny stoked optimism and reduced the chase to three runs from the final ball. India was painfully short at 129-4 when Binny was run out in a last-ditch effort to tie the scores with two runs.
India is no longer in the race for the title after this close defeat, but they are still competing in the Hong Kong Sixes’ “Bowl” competition, which pits the third-place teams from each group against each other. With a loss to England on that side of the draw and New Zealand following, their chances of winning anything are slim.