Rohit Sharma-led India will be eyeing another win when they take on Hong Kong in their 2nd match in Group B in Asia Cup 2022 on Wednesday (August 31. Men in Blue got a nice two-day break after the high-pressure India vs Pakistan contest on Sunday night. India beat arch-rivals by 5 wickets to start their tournament on a positive note. The star of the match was all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who picked up 3 wickets and then smashed unbeaten 33 off 17 balls to guide the team home.
Hong Kong are not as strong as Pakistan but they cannot be taken lightly. This is a team that has beaten other nations in the qualification stage to come into the last 6 who are playing the tournament. Not to forget, the last time these two sides met at Asia Cup 2018 and at the same venue, Hong Kong had almost pulled off a heist. They fell short by 26 runs in that ODI. However, the match was much closer that it appears as Hong Kong were chasing the target quite well.
Because there will be two left-handers in Hong Kong XI, Yasim Murtaza and Kinchit Shah, India may play R Ashwin in place of Avesh Khan. Adding an extra spinner can help bowl over quickly and also bowl out the opponent quickly as well.
This is the first time these 2 sides are meeting in a T20 contest. The 2 times India have played Hong Kong has been in ODIs and Men in Blue came out victorious on both the occasions.
Dubai Weather report
The day time is expected to be hot in Dubai but the temperature will drop to 30 degree celsius by night time. Skies will be clear during the match with no rain predicted. Anyway, this is not a month when it rains in UAE.
Pitch report
Expect the track to be greener like the India vs Pakistan clash. The team winning the toss, will certainly like to bowl first as chasing has been far more easier here.
