Game Plan-How can Hong Kong punch above their weight?


image-l7hfeep0Hong Kong team

Hong Kong will start their Asia Cup campaign against the reigning champions India. The so-called minnows will look to pull up a surprise, if not win they will look to give a tough fight to the Asian Giants. 


What can Nizakat Khan’s team do to make life difficult for the Indians?

The Hong Kong bowling line will most probably consist of- Haroon Arshad, Ehsan Khan, Mohammad Ghazanfar, Ayush Shukla, and Kinchit Shah.

Let us look at the type of bowling India will have to face:

image-l7hf45zwProbable bowlers of Hong Kong

Seeing the type of bowling variation that India will be facing today, let us look at the strike rate of the Indian batters against the different types of bowling. 

image-l7hf5cajIndian batter Strike Rate vs different type of bowlers


So, the table suggests that the Indian batters generally score at a slower rate against the right arm wrist spin. For Hong Kong, the go-to option will be Mohammad Ghazanfar. 


Opportunity for India

With a win against Pakistan, India finds themselves in a very strong position to qualify for the super fours stage. Given the on-paper strength of the Hong Kong team, it is expected that India will have a comfortable win in their second outing of the tournament. 

India will hence look to experiment a bit in this match.


Try and bat first

image-l7hfmwiuKohli and Rohit both need runs

As India have already pulled off a close chase against Pakistan in their first match, the team will look to bat first if they win the toss.


Sending Dinesh Karthik up the order

India will look to keep all their batters in touch before the super four stage. So, today Dinesh Karthik might be seen batting up the order than his original batting position.


Playing Ravi Ashwin in the squad

As we have seen the Sharjah pitch provides a bit more help for the spinners than the Dubai international stadium. So, India can play Ravi Ashwin instead of Avesh Khan. This will give Ashwin a bit of game time and might also help India tactically.


Also Read: IND vs HK: Preview, Key Matchups, Prediction, Cricket Exchange Fantasy Tips