Match 4, Asia Cup: 4 key players to watch out for in Hong Kong vs India game
After a disappointing loss in their first game against Pakistan, Hong Kong would want to put up a fight against India on Tuesday. Returning to the Asia Cup after 10 years, they would like to forget the last time they met India where they lost by 256 runs. Meanwhile, India will be without Virat Kohli in the tournament and would like to find a stable team before the World Cup next year. The game is pretty much expected to be a one-sided affair and here are a few players to look out for.
#1 Rohit Sharma
The Indian captain in the absence of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma would like to start off with a convincing win against Hong Kong. Questions are being raised whether he should lead India in the 2019 World Cup, and this tournament would be a strong test for him captaincy wise.
On the other hand, he would have to take up the responsibility of batting through the innings at the top of the order without Kohli coming in at 3. Coming off a strong hundred in the first ODI against England, he would be high on confidence despite being left out of the Tests. With one of his three double hundreds coming as captain, the world no. 4 rated ICC batsman would like to utterly dominate Hong Kong with both his batting and captaincy.
#2 Anshuman Rath
After taking up the role of captain last month before the Asia Cup qualifiers, Anshuman Rath will look to achieve great heights for himself and Hong Kong cricket in the future. At just 20, he has been given a journey only few have embarked upon and his real test will start with this Asia Cup. Leading Hong Kong to a win the Asia Cup qualifiers and qualifying for the tournament after 10 years was a huge feat and upsetting India on Tuesday would give him a world of confidence.
Batting was a major concern for Hong Kong the other day against Pakistan and Rath would be eager for himself and his batting line up to step up. He, along with Babar Hayat have been the backbone of Hong Kong batting for some time now and he would love to continue his form from the qualifiers, where he scored a century and a half-century. The cricket pundits will be rooting for an upset against the favorites of the tournament.
#3 Kuldeep Yadav
On a slow and dry wicket in Dubai, Kuldeep Yadav will be a handful for the inexperienced Hong Kong batting lineup. With 9 wickets in 3 ODIs against the world No. 1 ranked side on his back, where he completely bamboozled some of the best batsmen of England, the Hong Kong batsmen would find it hard to read his variations.
With India needing a stable side ahead of the World Cup next year, he would like to further grip his place in the team with a sizzling performance in this tournament.
#4 Nadeem Ahmed
Being ineffective in the first game with a modest 116 to defend, the left-arm spinner would give his best for a good performance against India. The highest wicket taker of the qualifiers with 14 wickets and an economy of just 3.46, Nadeem Ahmed would love to exploit the slow pitch and put up a fight against the strong batting line up of India.