Asia Cup 2018: Twitter Reacts As Shikhar Dhawan's Century Propel India To Challenging Total Against Hong Kong

Shikhar Dhawan roared back to form after the forgettable tour of England, scoring a century to help India post 285 against Hong Kong in their Asia Cup-opener.

Asked to bat first, India were off to a decent start.  With conditions too harsh and pitch not being very helpful to bat on, skipper Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan relied on singles early on. But the two soon broke the shackles as India collected five boundaries in the fifth and sixth over. But before the duo could inflict further damage on Hong Kong,  Ehsan Khan dismissed Rohit for 23.

But Dhawan and comeback man Ambati Rayudu did not let Hong Kong make the most of the dismissal.  Dhawan was getting runs quite easily while Rayudu played the role of the second fiddle to perfection.  Both the players went on to complete their fifties to lay the foundation for a big total.

The added 116 runs for the second wicket before Rayudu edged a short ball outside off from Ehsan Nawaz to the keeper while trying to ramp it to the third man region. Dhawan was then joined by Karthik who found the going tough early on. The right-hander struggled to pick up the gaps while Dhawan continued to score at a brisk pace.  Dhawan went on to complete his century off 105 balls in the 36th over.

At 240 for 2 in the 41st over, India was looking set to finish the proceedings strongly. However, Dhawan (127), MS Dhoni (0) and Karthik (28) departed in quick succession as India found themselves reeling at 248 for 5. Kedar Jadhav then played a handy knock of 28 to ensure India finish on a good note.

Here is how Twitter reacted to the innings:

Any batsman’s average should be adjusted for quality of pitch ( pata or otherwise ), weather, quality of opposition & home/away ( Dubai doesn't count ).

Please don't headline ’Dhawan banished nightmare of England tour’ #AsiaCup2018 #INDvHK

— R Ravi (@NewsJ1964) September 18, 2018

https://twitter.com/iconicdeepak/status/1042061101452668933

Thanks for coming, MS

— Nikhil ? (@CricCrazyNIKS) September 18, 2018

1. Shikhar Dhawan against England
2. Shikhar Dhawan against Hong Kong#IndvHK #AsiaCup2018 pic.twitter.com/7QvV63pJFp

— Sagar (@sagarcasm) September 18, 2018

Also one of the reasons why we call all flat track bullies. Nobody apart from Dhawan has flown today. It is two-paced?

— Nikhil ? (@CricCrazyNIKS) September 18, 2018

250 is more than enough for Hong Kong. Team India strategically losing quick wickets to lure Team Pak into false sense of security. #AsiaCup

— cricBC (@cricBC) September 18, 2018

https://twitter.com/Puntergillyy/status/1042036357730918402

Dhoni’s blob will be the talking point of this match!

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) September 18, 2018

Rohit’s gone early, but India still have enough batting power though Rahul’s not playing. Rayudu’s return will be watched with interest. Even more perhaps how young pacer Khaleel fares

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) September 18, 2018

Hong Kong won the toss and elected to see Rohit Sharma score a double hundred.

— Shubh Aggarwal (@shubh_chintak) September 18, 2018

Rohit Sharma right now #INDvHK #RohitSharma pic.twitter.com/vxnAAnWTgt

— Rishabh Srivastava (@AskRishabh) September 18, 2018

Rohit sharma after getting out early against HK. #INDvHK pic.twitter.com/A6xwfK9k8U

— Mask ? (@Mr_LoLwa) September 18, 2018

https://twitter.com/riyyaak/status/1042016014957826048

Tonight's ODI match in Dubai will be India's 1st at this venue in any format. Overall, Dubai will be India's 132nd ODI venue.
Most ODIs played by India @
72 – Sharjah
43 – Colombo RPS
22 – Mirpur
21 – Kolkata/Melbourne/Harare
20 – Dhaka/Bangalore#IndvHK#AsiaCup#AsiaCup2018

— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) September 18, 2018

That feeling you get when you can finally eat non-veg after a month of fasting… That same feeling Indian cricket team will get today when they play Hong Kong after their England tour. #IndvHK

— Comedian Praveen (@Comedy_Praveen) September 18, 2018