India vs. Hong Kong -Preview

Karachi: Today India will meet Hong Kong in their first appearance in the ongoing Asia cup. After receiving the crushing defeat from Pakistan yesterday, the rival team will be under much pressure.

In the lead-up to today’s Group B match against Hong Kong, Indian skipper M.S. Dhoni said, “it is a funny game and we won’t be experimenting much.”

Dhoni’s team is no doubt the favorite for this game. This match will also give the Indian team the perfect way to open its Star Cricket Asia Cup campaign on a winning note at the National Stadium.

India won the Asia Cup last in 1995 so here is the chance to make a good start that may lead the team to the title. Coming into this tournament after a 25-run loss against Pakistan in the Kitply Cup final at Dhaka on June 14, Dhoni’s men are aware that they have it in them to go all the way to the final here on July 6.

Hong Kong team is far inexperienced as compared to the Indian team but they might feel at home with a large chunk of its players being of Pakistani origin starting with its captain Tabarak Dar.

Dhoni stressed that he would tinker with the order with player-experience and match-situation being the context for change. Irfan Pathan will sit out and R.P. Singh is likely to step in and it remains to be seen whether India will stick with four specialist bowlers or go with the full quota of five.

“We got to take every opposition seriously and we got to try and play proper cricket. We want to make sure that we do the things that we want to do well,” said Kirsten while his Hong Kong counterpart Aftab Habib is hoping that his team will throw up a few surprises on a hard track.

Today’s victory will also be a confidence boosting win ahead of their crucial tie against arch-rival Pakistan on Thursday.
The teams (from):
India: M.S. Dhoni (capt.), Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Robin Uthappa, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, R.P. Singh, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, Manpreet Gony, Piyush Chawla and Pragyan Ojha. Coach: Gary Kirsten.
Hong Kong: Tabarak Dar (capt.), Afzal Haider, Ashish Gadhia, James Atkinson, Toby Brown, Hussain Butt, Irfan Ahmed, Courtney Kruger, Roy Lamsam, Munir Dar, Nadeem Ahmed, Najeeb Amar, S. Ali, Waqas Barkat and Zain Abbas. Coach: Aftab Habib.