Asia cup: Hong Kong brace for desert storm

Dubai, August 30

KL Rahul couldn’t have wished for an easier opposition to get his rhythm back as a buoyant India get ready to steamroll minnows Hong Kong in their second and final group league game of the Asia Cup here tomorrow.

2 India and Hong Kong have faced each other in two matches in ODI cricket and India have won both the games.

4 India have won four and lost one in the last five T20Is played. Hong Kong also have won four and lost just one in their last five matches.

---

On a given day, anything can happen in T20Is. We will give our best and we will not take them lightly — Ravindra Jadeja, India all-rounder

Advertisement

The Group A match won’t be more than a glorified net session for Rohit Sharma’s men against a team mostly comprising Pakistani and Indian expats, who otherwise are not good enough to play First-Class cricket in either of the two nations.

After a hard-earned victory over Pakistan in a final-over thriller, scripted by Hardik Pandya, the focus against Hong Kong will be on the batters and their adequate game-time.

Rahul would want to come out all guns blazing and may take this opportunity to try an alternate batting approach from the outset, compared to what has been his style in the IPL. In the T20Is, teams are going for impact performances and often a 20-ball 45 is of greater value than a 90 not out off 65 balls. The quality of an innings and its significance in the larger context of the game are more important at this stage as India get ready for the T20 World Cup.

Obviously, the quality of Hong Kong’s bowling is in stark contrast to that of Pakistan’s, but there’s an arcane ring to the match as one doesn’t know what to expect from Hong Kong. Hence, it is important that Rahul uses this opportunity to the fullest to gain his confidence before the start of the Super 4s and business end of the tournament.

Skipper Rohit has made it clear that experimentation will continue and one shouldn’t be surprised if a different batting is tried tomorrow.

For Virat Kohli, the match will be all about another quality hitting time in the middle against an attack that is sure to feel intimidated by his sheer presence in the middle.