India vs Hong Kong: Irfan Pathan Picks KL Rahul's 36 As A 'Positive' From Hong Kong Game

After getting out on a golden duck against Pakistan, KL Rahul scored 36 off 39 balls in the game against Hong Kong to get some crucial runs under his belt. India scored 192/2 batting first and won the game by 40 runs as the bowlers defended the total successfully. In the process, the Men in Blue also qualified for the Super 4s of Asia Cup 2022.

While Rahul’s knock was criticised by the majority of the Indian cricket experts, former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan pointed out his knock as one of the positives for India in their game against Hong Kong.

The Knock Should Give KL Rahul Confidence: Irfan Pathan

“From India’s point of view, there are a lot of positives. Talking about the good start from the batters, KL Rahul getting 36, that should give him a lot of confidence as well. He was playing slightly cautiously at the start but after that he scored 36 runs” he said to Star Sports.

Pathan said that Virat Kohli’s knock was the biggest plus for India in the game. Kohli who was constantly struggling for runs scored an unbeaten 59 off 44 balls with three sixes and a four. He added an unbeaten 98-run stand with Suryakumar Yadav (68* off 26) to take India to 192/2.

Virat Kohli’s Half-Century Is The Biggest Positive: Irfan Pathan

“Virat Kohli’s half-century is the biggest positive because of the way he batted, the strike rotation. You see the score but we here see how he played. Was he in control – yes absolutely, he was in control. Was he taking singles regularly the way he used to – yes he was” said Pathan on Kohli.

Along with Kohli, Pathan also had a special mention for SKY who top-scored for India in the game. India scored 54 runs in the final three overs with Surya scoring the majority of those runs. The Indian all-rounder said Surya’s innings were top-notch.

“There were some big shots in between as well, which was outstanding, plus he came not out as well. So that should take the confidence further ahead. He has become the highest scorer in the Asia Cup so far, it’s good to see, as well as Suryakumar Yadav’s batting, which was top-notch.”

India won the game by 40 runs and qualified for the Super 4s. The Men in Blue are the defending champions of the Asia Cup title having won in 2016 and 2018.

Also Read: IND vs HK: I Know That My Job Is To Stabilize The Innings And Build A Partnership – Virat Kohli