Dubai: A formidable India will be aiming to make short work of minnows Hong Kong in their Asia Cup opener Tuesday before getting battle-ready for their much-anticipated clash Wednesday against arch rivals Pakistan.
The match against Hong Kong will be an ‘appetiser’ before cricket junkies are treated to a lavish spread of main course which will be the Indo-Pak rivalry.
Even without regular skipper Virat Kohli, the Indian side, led by Rohit Sharma, are an intimidating one in the limited overs format.
In the searing Dubai heat, where the mercury has risen up to 43 degree Celsius, the primary aim for the Men in Blue would be to get their combination right before the big game.
Hong Kong lost their opener Sunday against Pakistan by eight wickets in a thoroughly one-sided showdown where they could manage only 116 runs.
Unless a miracle happens, there won’t be a remarkable improvement in their performance against an Indian team that boasts of the likes of Rohit, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Kedar Jadhav in batting along with Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal in bowling.
For the past few years, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s waning batting skills have repeatedly come under scanner and this tournament will give everyone a fair idea of his ideal position. The exact position where he would ideally fit in is something that the team management needs to decide on. The spots on offer are No. 5, 6, and 7.
Possibly, Kedar Jadhav or Manish Pandey at No.5 and Hardik Pandya with his big hitting abilities at No.7 could prove to be ideal foil for the former India captain, if he decides to come at No. 6.
It is expected that Rahul will bat at No.3 but the incoming deliveries from Mohammed Aamir or Hasan Ali could be a problem like it has been in England.
The BCCI has already hired a left-arm throwdown specialist from Sri Lanka to ensure that the Indian have no trouble tackling Pakistan’s battery of left-armers. Also, they have Khaleel Ahmed in the team to give the batsmen much-needed practice.
However, on flat decks with little movement from the white kookaburra ball, the Indian batsmen can play their customary ‘hitting on the rise’ game with minimal footwork.
For Pakistan, the two Indian wrist-spinners, Chahal and Kuldeep will be unknown entities as they were not in the team that lost to Sarfraz Khan’s men in the Champions Trophy final in England. But then again, the Pakistan batters are much more adept at playing spin than many others.
PTI