India, Hong Kong, Asia Cup 2018, Match Prediction
Team India will start their Asia Cup campaign against Hong Kong today.(Image Courtesy: Getty Images)

After three days of intense battle, India is all set to kick off their campaign in the Asia Cup 2018 with a match against lowly Hong Kong at Dubai International Stadium on Tuesday (September 19). Here in this article, we will discuss the match prediction and much more.

For the Men in Blue, it will be their first match of the tournament. On the other hand, Hong Kong has already lost their opening clash against Pakistan and faces a do or die situation here.

Unless something dramatic happens, we will see India and Pakistan going through to the Super 4’s from the groups.

The Men in Blue will miss the services of their regular skipper Virat Kohli, who has been rested from the tournament to manage the workload of the man who has played non-stop cricket in the past few months.

The Indian side is a formidable one even without Kohli and will pose a strong challenge to most of the teams in the tournament. In all likelihood, they will steamroll Hong Kong in their first match of the tournament.

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But, there is very little room for improvement as far as Hong Kong is concerned. None of the players are professional cricketers. They have day jobs, and hence it is not always an easy task to compete against some of the best cricketers in the world.

India has a balanced attack and has also included some newcomers in the squad.

Rohit Sharma, Asia Cup 2018, India, Hong Kong
Rohit Sharma’s form will be crucial for India all through the tournament. (Image Courtesy: Getty Images)

Middle order batters like Kedar Jadhav and Ambati Rayudu has made a comeback to the squad. Dinesh Karthik is also part of the squad. After his heroics in the tri-nation Nidahas Trophy 2018 final, he might be given the nod ahead of Kedar.

On the other hand, there will be a battle for spots between Manish Pandey and Ambati Rayudu. The latter has finally passed the Yo-Yo test. Given the form he has shown of late, Rayudu should directly walk into the playing XI. In the absence of Kohli, he could be a reliable No. 3 batsman.

“I am quite excited about Khaleel [Ahmed]. Of course, he’s a great variation to the squad. Also, he generates quite a bit of pace. He’s young, quite talented and can swing the ball as well at the same time. I am quite excited of his addition to the squad. Yes, I am looking forward to [seeing] him play and do well for the country.” Rohit Sharma said on Khaleel Ahmed.

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The major problem for India has been the middle order batting in the recent past. If the middle order clicks, it will be difficult for any team to beat India. They have two champion opening batters who have an exceptional record in limited-overs cricket. If they can set the foundation, India should be rolling in the tournament.

Asia Cup 2018, Khaleel Ahmed, India, Rahul Dravid
Match Prediction: Khaleed Ahmed to don India colours. PC: Getty Images

Team Combinations

India

Captain Rohit expressed his excitement at the inclusion of young left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed. He might be making his ODI debut today. Khaleel is a skiddy customer and can swing the ball both ways.

Jasprit Bumrah, who joined the team on September 17 might be rested for the opener. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is also expected to make a comeback. Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal will be the two wrist spinners in the Playing XI.

Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Ambati Rayudu/Manish Pandey, MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik/Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed

Hong Kong:

Hong Kong, India, Asia Cup 2018
Hong Kong qualified for the main leg of the tournament after beating UAE in the final of the Asia Cup Qualifiers. (Image Courtesy: Getty Images)

Also, there shouldn’t be many changes in the Hong Kong line-up.  But losing to Pakistan was always on the cards for Hong Kong. Hence they should rely on the squad who helped them to rout the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the first place having won the Asia Cup 2018 qualifiers.

Predicted XI: Nizakat Khan, Anshuman Rath, Babar Hayat, Christopher Carter, Kinchit Shah, Ehsan Khan, Aizaz Khan, Scott McKenchie, Tanwir Afzal, Ehsan Nawaz, Nadeem Ahmed.

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Asia Cup 2018: India vs Hong Kong – Match Prediction:

There is no doubt about the fact that India will definitely start as the overwhelming favourites. Unless there is a huge upset, the Men in Blue should win Asia Cup 2018 opener comprehensively.

In addition, I have been pretty lucky with my predictions so far. And, there is no doubt that India are way ahead of Hong Kong and should sweep them away.

A Cricket Expert who loves revolving his life around the game. An extremely passionate music lover who loves singing and listening to Arijit Singh songs.