Indian Team Falls to UAE in Hong Kong Sixes, Suffering Second Consecutive Defeat
The Indian cricket team lost to UAE by six wickets in the Hong Kong Sixes, marking their second straight defeat in the tournament.
Kowloon, October 31 (Daily Kiran) : The Indian cricket team faced a disappointing defeat against the UAE, losing by six wickets in the Hong Kong Sixes tournament held in Kowloon. The match took place at the Tin Kwong Road Recreation Ground on Saturday.
Winning the toss, the UAE opted to bowl first. The Indian side struggled to establish momentum, with T. Natarajan being the standout performer, scoring 38 runs off just 14 balls. Natarajan’s explosive innings included four sixes and three fours, coming in at the tail end of the batting order.
Rahul Tripathi opened the innings and contributed 24 runs from seven balls, hitting three sixes and one four. Captain Krunal Pandya managed 15 runs off eight balls, while Nitish Rana, Rahul Tewatia, and Shashank Singh added minimal contributions of six, one, and one run, respectively. Ultimately, India posted a total of 94 runs, losing all six wickets in just six overs.
Chasing a target of 95 runs, the UAE achieved victory in a swift 4.2 overs without losing a wicket. Khalid Shah, the team’s captain and wicketkeeper, led the charge with an unbeaten 52 runs off 14 balls, featuring six sixes and three fours. Ansh Tandon supported him with an impressive 39 runs off just 12 balls, hitting five sixes and two fours.
On the bowling front for India, Natarajan was notably expensive, conceding 43 runs in two overs. Shashank Singh gave away 17 runs in one over, while Nitish Rana and Krunal Pandya allowed 24 runs and 12 runs, respectively.
UAE’s Zahid Ali was named Player of the Match for his performance, taking two wickets for 32 runs in two overs. This loss marks India’s second consecutive defeat in the tournament, following their earlier loss to Pakistan by four wickets.
