India were in the news for having crushed Pakistan in the Pool C match in the Hong Kong Sixes, but they have now faced a major blow to their campaign with a defeat against Kuwait.
The Dinesh Karthik-led side faced a massive 27-run defeat.
India are playing in the Hong Kong Sixes, and Dinesh Karthik has been handed the captaincy this time around. Stuart Binny, Abhimanyu Mithun, and Robin Uthappa have once again been drafted into the Indian team for the tournament.
Veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin was also supposed to be part of the Indian team for the Hong Kong Sixes tournament; however, he was ruled out due to an injury at the last moment and was replaced by batter Robin Uthappa.
Extraordinary Kuwait stun India with a crushing win in the Hong Kong Sixes
The Pool C encounter between Kuwait and India ended in an unexpected twist as the Dinesh Karthik-led side lost the match by a staggering margin of 27 runs. The Indians could manage just 79 runs at the loss of their 6 wickets when chasing a total of 107 runs.
Kuwait are to be praised for their exceptional grit and tactical brilliance, alongside the individual performances from their players. The six-a-side match saw some standout batting performances from Yasin Patel and the rest of the Kuwait team.
Opting to bat first, Kuwait posted a formidable target of 107 in their 6 overs at the loss of 5 wickets. The format itself is largely known for its 6-over-per-side games and some fearless striking. They scored runs with some smart running between the wickets and hence kept the Indian bowlers under pressure.
Player of the Match – Yasin Patel’s stunning last-over show stole the show
Kuwait all-rounder Yasin Patel has probably played the best hand of his cricket career and will be remembered in the history of Kuwait cricket, as it was due to his all-round show that Kuwait could defeat the heavyweights India for the first time in history.
At one point, Kuwait were far from even the 90-run mark and could have managed a score around 80 had it not been for Yasin Patel. Patel came in and smacked 5 sixes off the final over and led his team to 106, from 76 on the board.
It was the 27 runs off these 30 runs scored that turned out to be the winning margin for Kuwait. He was later picked as the player of the match for his commendable show.
Adnan Idrees and Yasin Patel held their nerve with the ball
After Kuwait’s promising batting show, India, in reply, was expected to make a strong start with Robin Uthappa opening the innings for them. However, he was dismissed for a golden duck and joined by skipper Dinesh Karthik and all-rounder Stuart Binny, who also could not contribute much with the bat.
Only Abhimanyu Mithun showed a rare glimpse of hope in the Indian dugout as he started the final over with three sixes off the first three balls, though India still needed 26 runs off just 3 balls. Adnan Idrees held his nerve and dismissed Mithun for 26 off just 9 balls.
Yasin Patel also stunned with the ball, picking 3 wickets off his two overs, which proved decisive.
After the defeat to Kuwait, the Men In Blue also lost against the UAE by 4 wickets and against Nepal by 92 runs.