After their last-gasp win against Pakistan in the Asia Cup‘, the Indian cricketers return to Dubai’s International Stadium for tonight’s match against Hong Kong. Against the neighbours- on a bowler-friendly pitch- runs had to be prised with grit and guts. Chasing 147, India was behind the curve for long periods, but Hardik Pandya was on hand to nudge them over the line. If his spell of 3/25 helped restrict Babar & Co. to 147, a 33-run blitzkrieg of 17 balls ensured victory with two balls to spare. A win against Hong Kong will ensure passage to the Super 4 for the men in blue. 

Also Read: Watch: India’s winning moment vs Pakistan at Asia Cup 2022

After the nerve shredder, Hong Kong resembles relative cannon fodder for Rohit Sharma-led India. The islanders came through gruelling but successful qualification rounds. Defeating Kuwait, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Singapore, the ICC Associate Members finished top of the table. Pooled alongside India and Pakistan- as in the 2018 edition- in Group A, the prospects of an upset are dim. Nonetheless, they hope to scrap to the best of their abilities.  

Hong Kong will, of course, draw from their near-miraculous run-chase against India four years ago. Set 286 to win, a stunning 174-run opening stand between present captain Nizakat Khan and then-captain Anshy Rath threatened an upset for the ages. But a steady collapse felled their chase, and Hong Kong eventually lost by 26 runs. It came ten years after their first meeting in an Asia Cup match at Karachi. Back then, India inflicted a 256-run loss on Hong Kong, the heaviest in Asia Cup matches. 

Also Read: Asia Cup 2022: When and where to watch India vs Hong Kong, live streaming and other details

India might rotate their first XI, giving the likes of Rishabh Pant and Ravichandran Ashwin game-time. Hong Kong will field its strongest XI. Much rests on captain Nizakat Khan and power-hitter Yasim Murtaza. The experienced Babar Hayat (at no. 3) and spinner Ehsan Khan lend balance to the plucky outfit. 

Predicted Lineups:

India: Rohit Sharma (C), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravi Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh

Hong Kong: Nizakat Khan (C), Yasim Murtaza, Babar Hayat, Kinchit Shah, Aizaz Khan, Scott McKechnie (WK), Zeeshan Ali, Haroon Arshad, Ehsan Khan, Mohammad Ghazanfar, Ayush Shukla