Match Details
Date: 31 August 2022
Time : 07:30 PM IST
Venue : Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
Ball-by-ball commentary : SportsTiger App
Preview
India started their Asia Cup 2022 campaign with a thrilling win over arch-rivals Pakistan as the Men in Blue defeated Babar Azam-led team by five wickets. Indian bowlers stepped up in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Harshal Patel as they bundled Pakistan for 147. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya did a terrific job as they claimed seven of the ten wickets. Pandya then continued his dream run and played a match-winning knock. Now, Rohit Sharma and his men are readying themselves to take on Hong Kong in their second group match. So, it’s to be seen whether Hong Kong manage to put up a fight or if will it be a one-sided affair.
Pitch Report
The Dubai pitch was two-paced in the India-Pakistan game. It was not easy for the batters to hit through the line. Meanwhile, the pacers did get some help with good bounce on the wicket. The pitch is expected to behave in a similar fashion. Batters will find it hard to play their shots while bowlers will get some assistance from here and there.
Team Analysis
India:
The Rohit Sharma-led team did a terrific job to outclass arch-rivals Pakistan. Things worked well in India’s favour as Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl. Bhuvneshwar Kumar put his hands up in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and dismissed as many as four Pakistani batters including Babar Azam. Arshdeep Singh also stuck to his line and length. Meanwhile, it was Hardik Pandya who did the damage by claiming three wickets. The all-rounder also scored a crucial 33*. Apart from Pandya and Kumar, Ravindra Jadeja and Virat Kohli also did their bit in the game.
However, there were some ordinary performances as well. Avesh Khan got hammered for 19 runs in his two overs. He took a wicket (Fakhar Zaman) though. Chahal also had a wicketless day. In batting, KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma failed yet again to provide a solid start. So, these will be the things Team India will look to sort before the Super 4 stage. However, there are no changes expected.
SportsTiger Playing XI of India
KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Hong Kong:
Hong Kong put on a spirited performance in the Asia Cup 2022 Qualifier as they beat UAE, Kuwait, and Singapore to qualify for the group stage of the tournament. Yasim Murtaza finished as the highest run-getter and will be expected to do the job against India as well. Captain Nizakat Khan and middle-order batter Babar Hayat were also pivotal in Hong Kong’s qualification. The team has also got a really good bowler in Ehsan Khan who claimed nine wickets in three matches and averaged only 9. The off-spinner was also economical. So, he will be expected to play a pivotal role on typical UAE pitches.
SportsTiger Playing XI of Hong Kong
Yasim Murtaza, Nizakat Khan, Babar Hayat, KD Shah, Aizaz Khan, Scott McKechnie, Zeeshan Ali, Haroon Arshad, Ehsan Khan, Mohammad Ghazanfar, Ayush Shukla
Match Prediction
Conclusion
India are too strong a side as compared to Hong Kong. Plus, they are coming on the back of an exciting win which may have boosted their confidence.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the author’s point of view. They neither reflect the opinion of SportsTiger nor advise anyone to make any prediction based on this. SportsTiger does not assume any responsibility and liability for the same.