Experimental India Get Ready To Steamroll Hong Kong In Asia Cup

30.08.2022 - 11:59 sports.ndtv.com

KL Rahul couldn't have wished for an easier opposition to get his rhythm back as a buoyant India get ready to steamroll minnows Hong Kong in their second and final group league game of the Asia Cup on Wednesday.

The Group A match won't be more than a glorified net session for Rohit Sharma's men against a team, mostly comprising Pakistani and Indian expats, who otherwise are not good enough to play first-class cricket in either of the two nations.

After a hard earned victory over Pakistan in a last over thriller, scripted by Hardik Pandya, the focus against Hong Kong will be on batters and their adequate game time.

Rahul, whose first T20I in 2022 was against Pakistan the other night, would want to come out all guns blazing and may take this opportunity to try an alternate batting approach at the onset, compared to what has been his style at the IPL.

cricket cup Virat Kohli Asia Cup Australia India Hong Kong Pakistan Hong Kong

Asia Cup final after Pakistan beat Afghanistan by one wicket in a tense 'Super 4' match in Sharjah. Winless in two matches, both India and Afghanistan are out of the tournament and Thursday's match between the two sides here has been rendered inconsequential. With four points each from two wins apiece, Pakistan and Sri Lanka sealed their places in the summit clash to be played on Sunday.

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Asia Cup... Lack of big game temperamentAs in the past, India excelled in the build-up to the Asia Cup, winning bilateral games against Ireland and England. But the performance dipped dramatically again in a major tournament, especially in the crunch games. Some sub-par performances in crunch games are responsible for this. Suryakumar Yadav has a strike rate of 160 in this Asia Cup, mainly due to his 26-ball 68 (strike rate 243) against minnows Hong Kong. Against Pakistan, he scored 18 off 18 balls and 13 off 10. Against Sri Lanka he made 34 off 29 balls. Which means in these key games, he had a modest strike rate of 118. KL Rahul has a strike rate of 104, Hooda 106 and Pant 124 in this edition.

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After a great run in the group stage, expectation were high from Team India at the Asia Cup 2022. However, after two straight defeats in the Super 4 stage to Pakistan and Sri Lanka, India are on brink of exit. India now have to rely on other teams' results, in order to qualify for the final. On Tuesday, India skipper Rohit Sharma's scintillating 41-ball 72 went in vain, as the Sri Lanka completed a chase of 174 with a ball to spare Needing 21 in 12 balls, Sri Lanka scored 14 runs off the penultimate over bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, almost sealing it in their favour. India will be out of the tournament if Pakistan beat Afghanistan on Wednesday.

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Pakistan defeated India by 5 wickets in the Super 4 encounter of the Asia Cup and that has put Rohit Sharma's team in a tricky situation as they now need to beat Sri Lanka and Afghanistan to ensure they reach the final. India will also have to keep in mind their net run rate as Sri Lanka's big win over Afghanistan has put them in a good position. India take on Sri Lanka in a must-win match on Tuesday.

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India face Sri Lanka in a must-win game at the Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday. A win in the Asia Cup encounter will keep Rohit Sharma and company in contention for a final berth while a loss will more or less knock them out of the competition. In their first game of the Super 4 stage, India lost to Pakistan, while their next opponents Sri Lanka are coming on the back of a four-wicket win over Afghanistan. The match on Tuesday is a big game for Sri Lanka as well as their last match of Super 4 will be against another tough opponent Pakistan.