Asia Cup 2022: When did Virat Kohli last bowl in a T20I before the Hong Kong clash?

Virat Kohli was handed the ball by skipper Rohit Sharma during India's Asia Cup 2022 clash against Hong Kong on Wednesday, August 31, in Dubai.

With the game almost out of Hong Kong's reach, Rohit asked Kohli to bowl the 17th over. The former skipper duly obliged, conceding only six runs, while also bowling a dot ball.

Meanwhile, the last time Kohli bowled in a T20I game was way back in 2016 during the T20 World Cup. Then-captain MS Dhoni handed Kohli the ball in their semi-final clash against the West Indies at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Virat Kohli bowling in T20I after 6 long years. https://t.co/iP6ctALZDy

The Delhi-born cricketer conceded 15 runs in 1.4 overs at an economy of over 10 and failed to defend seven runs in the final over of the game.

Overall, in 101 T20I matches, Kohli has picked up four wickets at an average of 49.5 and an economy rate of 8.1.

"No one in the team believes in my bowling but I do" - Virat Kohli on his abilities with the ball

Kohli once joked about his bowling, saying that if his teammates believed a bit more in his qualities with the ball, he would have picked up more than eight international wickets.

Speaking on Star Sports a few years back, the former Indian skipper stated:

“No one in the team believes in my bowling but I do. After that, I had back issues and then never bowled (in an international match)."

Kohli, meanwhile, scored a valuable half-century against Hong Kong. He looked a bit rusty at the start, but Suryakumar Yadav's (68* off 26) blazing knock helped him settle down.

Good win today. A special knock by SKY. We'll keep going. 🇮🇳 https://t.co/wbSBWqLzOU

Kohli, who scored 35 against Pakistan, remained unbeaten on 59 off 44 deliveries, hitting three sixes and one boundary in the process.

He will hope to keep the momentum going as India book their place in the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup.