IND vs HK Asia Cup 2022: Predicted playing XI, weather forecast, pitch report, players to watch

Team India and Hong Kong are set to cross swords with each other in the fourth match of Asia Cup 2022. While the Men in Blue come into this fixture on the back of a five-wicket win over Pakistan, Hong Kong will play their first match in Group B. 

Nizakat Khan's side remained unbeaten in their Asia Cup qualifiers, beating the likes of Singapore, Kuwait and UAE along the way. In the history of Asia Cup, Hong Kong have played six matches, and they've never won a single game, so they face another uphill task against a dominant Indian team. 

Expect the match to be a David versus Goliath affair, with Rohit Sharma's men outright favourites to win the match and seal their berth into the Super 4 stage. With the 'Hitman' make any changes to his team, or will they stick to the winning formula? Only time will tell. 

One thing however is assured that fans will be in for an entertaining affair in Dubai when India take on Hong Kong on Wednesday, which will be the first meeting between these two teams in the shortest format. 

Weather Forecast

According to weather.com, the temperature in Dubai, UAE, will be 38° during the day and 30° at night on August 31 (Wednesday). During the day, the sky will be partially cloudy, but clear at night. During the night, the chances of rain are only 3%. During the day, the humidity will be 39%, while at night, it will be 55%.

Pitch Report

Dubai International Stadium Cricket has a low scoring average. In T20Is, the average first innings total at the venue is 141, while the average second innings total is 124. Pakistan was bowled out for 147 against India in the previous encounter. Pacers had a lot of help from the pitch in the previous game.

Predicted Playing XIs- Ind vs Hong Kong

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Dinesh Karthik, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

Hong Kong: Yasim Murtaza, Nizakat Khan (c), Babar Hayat, Kinchit Shah, Aizaz Khan, Scott Mckechnie, Zeeshan Ali (wk), Haroon Arshad, Ehsan Khan, Mohammad Ghazanfar, Ayush Shukla

Key players to watch-

Hardik Pandya

For his match-winning knock of 33* off 17 deliveries along with 3 wickets, he was the top performer in IND vs PAK match.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the speedster, was a key figure in India's thrilling Asia Cup victory over Pakistan. He responded with four wickets, including the prized scalp of Babar Azam. 

Ehsan Khan

Ehsan Khan, the leader of Hong Kong's attack, had a superb final against UAE in the Qualifiers, taking four wickets. His efforts were critical in derailing UAE's run. The experienced off-spinner has played 31 T20 Internationals and took 39 wickets. In the UAE pitches, he will be crucial for Hong Kong.

Deepak Hooda

Deepak Hooda has appeared in 17 T20 internationals for India, all of which the team has won. He's become Team India's good luck charm. He has 274 runs in 9 T20 games for India.

Kinchit Shah

Talismanic all-arounder Kinchit  Shah is the team's most crucial player. He's their go-to guy with the bat and the ball. He has played 43 T20Is, scoring 633 runs and taking 11 wickets. Shah is a key player in the middle order, and Hong Kong will rely on him to deliver against India.