India lose to Kuwait, UAE and Nepal in a single day; knocked out of Hong Kong Sixes as Pakistan reach semis

Despite an opening win in the first fixture of their Hong Kong Sixes tournament, India’s team found themselves losing three matches on the trot to close out their campaign. As a result, the men in blue led by Dinesh Karthik were not only knocked out of contention from the tournament, but are also looking likely to finish at the bottom of the 12-team tournament following a disappointing run.

India’s only fixture on Friday saw them beat Pakistan by 3 runs in a DLS method victory, but the following matches for India did not go to plan. India dropped down into the ‘Bowl’ category of the tournament after they finished last in their pool, a result of failing to chase down 107 in their 6 overs against Kuwait and being bowled out for 79/6.

That match would be a symptom of the batting not being able to match the power of their opponents. Dropping into the Bowl category, India first faced the UAE, and put 108 on the board thanks to some power-hitting by Karthik and Abhimanyu Mithun. However, the bowlers wouldn’t be able to defend that target.

Pakistan reached Hong Kong Sixes semi-final

In their last match of the day against Nepal, India conceded 15 sixes in their 36 deliveries as Nepal piled on 137 runs for the loss of no wickets. In response, India were hapless, being bowled out for 45 and being subjected to a massive 92-run loss.

India will have one last chance to register a win on the board, with a final Bowl stage game left to be played against Sri Lanka. However, with a massive net run-rate deficit, they look unlikely to be able to work themselves off the foot of the tournament.

Elsewhere, Pakistan reached the semifinal thanks to Abdul Samad smashing 50 off just 10 deliveries, to chase down 103 against South Africa. Australia entered the semifinals and will play against Pakistan, while the second semifinal will see England face off against Kuwait for a spot in the finals.