On Wednesday India became the second team after Afghanistan to enter the Asia Cup Super 4 stage. A 40 run win against minnows Hong Kong, who are ranked 20th in the ICC T20I team rankings also meant that India finished as the toppers of Group A, with 2 wins in their two league stage matches.
So far this edition of the Asia Cup, which is only the second edition of the tournament that is being played in the T20 format after the one in 2016, has produced some great cricket overall.
Here are some interesting statistical trivia for this edition and for the Asia Cup overall so far:
# Virat Kohli, with 31 fifties, has equalled the record for most fifty-plus innings in T20Is. He doesn't have a T20I century yet, with his highest score being 94*.
# Rohit Sharma became the first player to complete 3500 runs in T20Is - his current tally being 3520 runs at an average of 32.00 in 126 innings. He leads the all -time T20I run charts currently ahead of Martin Guptill (3497 runs) and Virat Kohli (3402 runs). Rohit has scored four hundreds and 27 fifties in T20I cricket so far.
# Ravindra Jadeja, with 23 wickets at 26.56 in 20 innings, has become the leading wicket-taker for India in the Asia Cup overall, bettering Irfan Pathan's tally of 22 at 27.50 in twelve innings.
# Shakib Al Hasan, with 25 wickets at 29.72 in 19 innings, has become the fifth bowler to complete 25 wickets or more in the Asia Cup, joining Lasith Malinga (33), Muttiah Muralitharan (30), Ajantha Mendis (26) and Saeed Ajmal(25).
# Bhuvneshwar Kumar (4/26), Hardik Pandya (3/25), Arshdeep Singh (2/33) and Avesh Khan (1/19) provided the first instance of Indian pacers capturing all ten wickets in a Twenty20 International, accomplishing the feat against Pakistan in Dubai on August 28.
# Strike rate of 261.53 recorded by Suryakumar Yadav during the course of his unbeaten match-winning knock of 68 off 26 balls for India vs Hong Kong in Dubai on August 31 - the highest by any batsman in an innings of 25-plus.
# Six sixes hit by Najibullah Zadran during the course of his 43 not out against Bangladesh - the first batter to hit as many sixes in an innings in Asia Cup 2022.
# Suryakumar Yadav became the second batsman to hit six sixes during the course of his 68 not out off 26 balls against Hong Kong in Dubai on August 31.
# Rashid Khan has conceded 34 runs in eight overs, capturing three wickets in two matches at an economy rate of 4.25 - the best among the bowlers delivering at least six overs.
# Afghanistan's eight-wicket triumph against Sri Lanka in Dubai (DSC) on August 27, 2022 remains the biggest win by any team in terms of wickets.
# Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz were involved in a first-wicket stand of 83 against Sri Lanka in Dubai (DSC) on August 27 - the highest partnership by any pair for this wicket-position.
# Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav were involved in an unbroken stand of 98 for the third wicket against Hong Kong in Dubai on August 31 - the highest partnership for any wicket by any pair.
# Fourteen extras (5 leg byes and 9 wides) conceded by Pakistan in India's innings of 148 for five are the most conceded by any team so far.
# The India (192/2) vs Hong Kong (152/5) encounter produced a total of 344 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in Dubai on August 31 - the most in a match so far.
# Hardik Pandya (33 not out and 3 for 25), with his fantastic performance against Pakistan in Dubai on August 28, became the fifth Indian all-rounder after Sachin Tendulkar (twice - once each against Pakistan and Bangladesh in 2004), Kapil Dev (vs Sri Lanka in 1990), Irfan Pathan (vs Pakistan in 2004) and Virender Sehwag (vs Sri Lanka in 2004) to achieve the double of posting 30-plus and capturing 3 wickets in an Asia Cup match.
# Hong Kong's Haroon Arshad (3-0-53-0) became the first bowler to concede 50-plus runs without capturing any wicket in this Asia Cup, earning the dubious distinction against India in Dubai on August 31, 2022.
# In the same match, Avesh Khan (4-0-53-1) became the second bowler to concede 50-plus runs in this Asia Cup. He is the first Indian bowler to concede 50 runs in the T20 Asia Cup.
# Bhuvneshwar Kumar's superb performance of 4 for 26 against Pakistan in Dubai on August 28, 2022 is the best by an Indian bowler in a T20 Asia Cup. He remains the only Indian bowler to bag four wickets in a match in the Men's T20 Asia Cup. These were also the best bowling figures for an Indian vs Pakistan in T20I cricket.
# India's 192 for two against Hong Kong in Dubai on August 31 is the highest total by any team in the Men's T20 Asia Cup so far, eclipsing Oman's 180 for five against Hong Kong at Fatullah on February 19, 2016.
Stats Courtesy: Rajesh Kumar
