India Playing XI vs HK: IND vs HK LIVE: After an impressive win over Pakistan, one would think that Rohit Sharma & Co would go unchanged against Hong Kong on Wednesday. But they have made one change in the Playing XI. Hardik Pandya has been rested for the game while Rishabh Pant has returned into the team fold. Follow India vs Hong Kong LIVE & Asia Cup 2022 Live Updates with InsideSport.IN.
It means, India will have both the wicketkeepers in the Playing XI, that is Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant. The latter, who captained India against South Africa at home, was surprisingly dropped in favour of Karthik. But that created a problem of combinations for Team India. Ravindra Jadeja was the only left-hander in the batting department.
Now it will be interesting to see the batting order, India will adopt for the Hong Kong game. One assumes Jadeja will come in his usual spot lower down the order while Pant will bat at four of five. Another points being – who will don the gloves? With Pandya being rested, the bowlers will be under pressure to deliver. They have just five bowlers in the Playing XI.
India have also made the change, looking at their opponent. Hong Kong, with all due respect, are the least dangerous team in the Asia Cup 2022. All these matches, irrespective of the opposition, will help India prepare for the T20 World Cup in Australia.
However, India will want to be more clinical in all departments of the game. The focus will be on the Indian batters, especially. Barring Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja, the big names did not impress much.
India Playing XI vs HK: Rishabh Pant likely to COME BACK, who will Rohit Sharma DROP against Hong Kong? Follow Asia Cup 2022 Live Updates
India Playing XI vs HK
- Against a weaker opponent like Hong Kong, India have just made one change
- But before India once again face Pakistan on Sunday, it will be test of combinations with Hardik being rested
- Hong Kong have Aftab Hussain, Yasim Murtaza and Wajid Shah as three left-arm spinners and the inclusion of Rishabh Pant makes good sense
India Playing XI vs HK: Rishabh Pant likely to COME BACK, who will Rohit Sharma DROP against Hong Kong? Follow Asia Cup 2022 Live Updates
All eyes on KL Rahul: More importantly, all eyes will be on KL Rahul. The Man from Karnataka after his comeback has not done much to impress the team management. He was dismissed for a golden duck against debutant Naseem Shah. While he is surety for the T20 World Cup as an opener, he is making the selectors’ task difficult with failure.
Rahul, who was out of action for nearly three months due to injury, made a comeback in the Zimbabwe ODI series. He failed then, and another such failure in the Asia Cup will make matters complicated with the T20 World Cup looming large.
Likewise, Virat Kohli will also be eager to get back to form. The right-hander looked good in patches, but also showed plenty of glimpses to prove he is rusty. Both Rahul and Kohli will need more game time under their belt, and Hong Kong game could be an ideal scenario.
How good is this!!! #naseemshah #IndiaVsPakistan #ViratKohli𓃵 #HardikPandya #AsiaCup #PAKvIND #AsiaCup2022 #KLRahul pic.twitter.com/HujS523Eg6
— Raz Khan (@Raz_khan789) August 28, 2022
What about the bowlers?
In the bowling department, the likes of Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh have retained their place. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is India’s lead pacer. But with no Pandya, the team is lacking an additional bowler.
It also means that the bowlers will be under pressure to deliver. The spinners, including Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravindra jadeja cannot be afford to be expensive with the team banking on the five bowlers to do their job.
India (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik(w), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh
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