India clash with Hong Kong on Tuesday, with a firm eye on their next opponents - Pakistan.
Team India kick-off their Asia Cup 2018 campaign with a clash against Hong Kong at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
While Rohit Sharma's team will be mighty confident of getting past minnows Hong Kong, they will have a firm eye on their next opponents in the six-nation tournament - Pakistan.
Here are 5 things Team India need to perfect against Hong Kong, a day before their mega-clash with Pakistan:
1. Rohit Sharma's leadership
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The biggest talking point ahead of the Asia Cup 2018 was the absence of Virat Kohli from India's squad. Rohit Sharma has stepped into the talismanic batsman's shoes and the Mumbaikar will surely face the heat through the tournament. Not only will his leadership capabilities be tested, Rohit will also need to step in for Virat the batsman.
(Image: Twitter @BCCI)
2. Middle muddle
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India's biggest worry as we head closer to the 2019 ICC World Cup in England has to be their middle order. Rohit hinted on Monday that Mahendra Singh Dhoni might bat at No.4. Either way, Dhoni, Manish Pandey, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, and KL Rahul will all be vying for spots in India's highly unpredictable middle order. The team has to slowly but surely settle in on the right combination.
(Image: Twitter @BCCI)
3. More than spin-twins?
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The wickets during the Asia Cup in Dubai so far have been on the dryer and slower side. Teams have used their spinners to good effect, with the tweakers picking up the bulk of the wickets. India have to world-class spinners in Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav. But will Rohit go for a third spin option on Tuesday? Axar Patel is in the squad, too, and there are good chances India will go in with three spinners.
(Image: AFP)
4. Pace conundrum
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What will India's pace attack look like? Jasprit Bumrah will quite certainly be rested as he arrived in the UAE only on Monday. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is returning from a long injury lay-off. Shardul Thakur has spent the better part of the last two months warming benches in England. And the fourth and final fast-bowler in the squad - Khaleel Ahmed - will be playing his debut series. India have a lot to ponder upon as far as the pace options are concerned. There is also, of course, Hardik Pandya. It'll be interesting to see what combination Rohit goes with.
(Image: Twitter @BCCI)
5. Eye on Pakistan
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One of the biggest drawbacks of the 2018 Asia Cup is the fact that teams will be forced to play matches on consecutive days. And these aren't T20 matches that conclude in a few hours. These are full-day, 50-overs-a-side games. And that too in scorching temperatures of over 40 degree Celsius. India play Hong Kong on Tuesday and Pakistan, which is inarguably the match of the tournament, the following day. Ideally, India would've wanted to bat first against Hong Kong so that their batters had a chance of playing the full quota of 50 overs. But keeping an eye on the fact that Pakistan await the very next day, India might look to chase against Hong Kong and finish the game much sooner to get rest.
(Image: Twitter @BCCI)
