India plays Hong Kong in their first match of the Asia Cup 2018 on September 18.
Before Team India clashes with its arch rivals, they have Hong Kong to contend with on September 18. Hong Kong showed a bit of fight against Pakistan, but Pakistani bowling was just too good for them. They will look forward to putting some more effort against Indian bowlers.
India, on the other hand, will want to finish the HK game as soon as possible and get some much-needed rest, since they have to face Pakistan the next day. India will be led by Rohit Sharma in absence of Virat Kohli and will have Shikhar Dhawan as his deputy in the tournament.
The Sharma-Dhawan duo will also open for India as they have been doing since 2013. The left hand-right hand combination has given nightmares to the opposition bowlers for a long time and with Rohit Sharma batting with more responsibility being the captain, Hong Kong bowlers will only hope that India doesn’t bat first or a Rohit Sharma double hundred and even a possible triple might be a reality.
MS Dhoni comes in next at no.5 and with his hitting prowess waning with time as evident from his limited overs performance in England, this is the position best suited for the veteran keeper, where he can build an innings and let others take the responsibility of finishing matches or hitting the big shots.
The spin twins in Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have wrecked havoc for the past one year or so and with the UAE pitches favoring the spinners, expect these two to continue their demolition against Hong Kong batsmen, who were clueless against Pakistani leg-spinner Shadab Khan the other day.
And with Bumrah rested, the onus of being the bowling spearhead falls on a now fitter Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Kumar might not get the swing in UAE conditions, but the dry pitches might bring in his change of pace and length into play.
COC Predicted India XI for the match against Hong Kong:
Rohit Sharma (C), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (WK), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Yuzvendra Chahal