"India have always been the strongest side irrespective of the tournament": Hong Kong vice-captain Babar Hayat

Dubai [UAE], September 16 (ANI): Hong Kong vice-captain Babar Hayat heaped praise on Team India, calling them the strongest side in world cricket, irrespective of the tournament.

"I think India has been the strongest side, you know, in the competition, even in the World Cup, or Asia Cup, whatever the tournament is, they have always been the strongest side. With the cricket, they are very professional. Even though they don't have Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, they are still looking very strong," Hayat said.

When asked about which Indian player he considers the most dangerous in the current squad, Hayat highlighted the overall quality across the team.

"I think we'll say all of them, you know. Just as Bumrah (Jasprit) is there, you know. Up top, Shubman Gill and then you have Hardik Pandya. I think then, I would say that they have all winning players, you know, all XI, whoever has come on the field even though the bench strength is very strong for them as well, you know. So, I think they all are winners," he added.

Recently, the Men in Blue humiliated Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday.

Coming to the match, the Men in Green won the toss and opted to bat first and were reduced to 6/2. A 39-run stand between Sahibzada Farhan (40 in 44 balls, with a four and three sixes) and Fakhar Zaman (17 in 15 balls, with three fours) stabilised the innings a bit, but India reduced Pakistan to 97/8. A late blitz from Shaheen Shah Afridi (33* in 16 balls, with four sixes) took them to 127/9 in 20 overs.

Kuldeep Yadav (3/18) was the pick of the bowlers for India, with Axar Patel (2/18) and Jasprit Bumrah (2/28) getting two wickets. Hardik got one wicket.

During the run-chase, India lost two wickets within the powerplay, with Abhishek Sharma's fine cameo of 31 (in 13 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) giving India a solid headstart. Later, a 56-run stand between Suryakumar (47* in 37 balls, with five fours and a six) and Tilak Varma (31 in 31 balls, with two fours) brought back some stability. It was Suryakumar who did the majority of the striking later, sticking around with Shivam Dube (10*) till the end and taking India to a win with seven wickets and 25 balls left.

Kuldeep Yadav won the 'Player of the Match' award for his spell. Now, India is at the top of Group A with two wins in two matches. (ANI)

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