Pranav KhandaleHong Kong last played against India in the 2018 Asia Cup and almost pulled off an upset. Back then, it was an ODI tournament. On that day, Hong Kong openers Nizakat Khan and Anshuman Rath went on to add 174 runs to record the second-highest opening stand in a losing run chase.
The big picture
Hong Kong’s current openers, Yasim Murtaza and captain Nizakat Khan, have been in prime form since the qualifiers stage. The duo has added 219 runs at a Strike Rate of 115.87 and has done the bulk of Hong Kong’s scoring in the 2022 Asia Cup so far. Ehsan Khan has been the pick of the bowlers for them, having picked up 9 wickets in three matches with an Economy Rate of 6.75 runs per over. The Hong Kong team are packed with a variety of bowlers, but they do lack a genuine quick bowler, which is a weapon they would have liked to have on their side to surprise a star-studded Indian batting line-up. Their middle order is probably their weakest link and is expected to crumple against a strong Indian bowling attack. The Hong Kong head coach, former Ireland captain Trent Johnston, has been a part of a couple of upsets on a bigger stage back in his playing days. Johnston had the privilege of hitting the finishing runs against Pakistan in the 2007 ODI World Cup and also led Ireland to a win over Bangladesh in the same campaign.
Team India, on the other hand, look calm and composed. A win over their arch-rivals Pakistan has boosted their confidence. More importantly, Virat Kohli looked in good touch, which is a great sign for Indian cricket in general. KL Rahul’s short stay at the wicket has put a question mark at the opening spot, though, however, the team management will roll him another opportunity to spend time on the wicket. Hardik Pandya was in exceptional form against Pakistan with both the bat and the bowl, though he may not even get an opportunity to bat on Wednesday. India will be tempted to make a few changes to the playing XI to test their bench strength as they will likely play against Pakistan again on the coming Sunday. India were also found guilty of a slow over-rate in their last match, mainly due to delays brought in due to scorching conditions. Having an extra fielder inside the 30-yards circle during the death overs can prove extremely costly, so they need to find a permanent solution ahead of the T20I World Cup.
Match details
Match: India vs Hong Kong
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium
Date: 31 August 2022
Time: 07:30 PM IST
Where to Watch: Star Sports Network | Disney+ Hotstar
Pitch report & Toss
Surprisingly, there has been no dew in Dubai. This nullifies the toss advantage. Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DSC) pitch curator Tony Hemming has transformed the wickets completely; Wednesday’s match will be on a fresh new wicket. A new surface will produce more bounce and seam movement. The side winning the toss will not hesitate to bowl first, especially if they see some green grass on the pitch. Good bounce and pace will help the batters in stroke-making, so 160 looks to be a par score.
Probable playing XIs
Hong Kong: Nizakat Khan (c), Babar Hayat, Yasmin Murtaza, Kinchit Shah, Scott McKechnie (wk), Haroon Arshad, Aizaz Khan, Zeeshan Ali, Ehsan Khan, Ayush Shukla, Mohammad Ghazanfar
India: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (wk), Deepak Hooda, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh
Head-to-head
Matches Played: 2
Won by India: 2
Won by Hong Kong: 0
Clean hitters
Hong Kong: Nizakat Khan, Babar Hayat, Kinchit Shah
India: Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Deepak Hooda, Hardik Pandya
Death-over bowlers
Hong Kong: Ehsan Khan, Haroon Arshad, Kinchit Shah
India: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan
Fantasy team
Scott McKechnie, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Babar Hayat, Nizakat Khan, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Ehsan Khan, Arshdeep Singh
Captain & Vice-captain choices
Captain: Virat Kohli, KL Rahul,
Vice Captain: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nizakat Khan
Prediction
Fast bowlers will enjoy pace, bounce and seam movement. India will most likely prove too spicy for Hong Kong to handle; if they win the toss and bowl, Hong Kong may struggle to post a target in excess of 100. I am expecting India to have a walk in the park and book themselves a Super Four spot.
