Not all heroes wear (just) capes; some don the gloves and keep wickets too

Wriddhiman Saha

Indian Premier League, 2023

Gujarat Titans

Chennai Super Kings

Unsung, unheralded Saha does the job for GT — again

Both teams are starting the season with a new captain, and will want to start off securing two points

Shreyas Iyer

Andre Russell

Jonny Bairstow

Liam Livingstone

Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Umesh Yadav

Punjab Kings

Kolkata Knight Riders

Unfancied PBKS and KKR aim to start on a winning note

A myopic view while constructing their squad led to a 7th position finish in the last season. Can they salvage anything this season?

Lockie Ferguson

Shardul Thakur

Nitish Rana

Sunil Narine

IPL 2023 Preview: Russell-power to the rescue?

Usually Punjab fall apart as the season progresses, but this time around they’re in tatters before a single ball bowled

Shikhar Dhawan

Sam Curran

Arshdeep Singh

Kagiso Rabada

IPL 2023 preview: Can Punjab get out of the tox6ic relationship?


Still reeling from the absence of their talismanic leader, Rishabh Pant, DC could find it tough to get the right combination 

KL Rahul

Axar Patel

David Warner

Prithvi Shaw

Avesh Khan

Mark Wood

Lucknow Super Giants

Delhi Capitals

Warner's Delhi could struggle against settled Lucknow

Even without Rishabh Pant, Delhi Capitals have the firepower but need to figure out the right balance in the XI

Mitchell Marsh

Anrich Nortje

Rovman Powell

Sarfaraz Khan

Abishek Porel

Rishabh Pant

Rilee Rossouw

Lalit Yadav

Khaleel Ahmed

Lungi Ngidi

Mustafizur Rahman

IPL 2023 Preview: Delhi Capitals hunt for right tactics to cover Pant-sized loss

On the back of his side&rsquo;s 40-run victory against Hong Kong on Wednesday, Suryakumar Yadav admitted that batting first is a &lsquo;challenge&rsquo;, but shot down suggestions that toss could become a &lsquo;deciding factor&rsquo; in this Asia Cup, with teams tending to get a seemingly big advantage while chasing. On Wednesday, India became just the second team in the last three years to successfully defend a target in Dubai (in T20Is), restricting Hong Kong to 152/5 after posting 192 batting first.&nbsp;&ldquo;Toss is not actually a deciding factor. When you bat first, you&rsquo;ve to go there, express yourself and set a competitive target - which we&rsquo;re trying to do. &nbsp;It&rsquo;s a challenge, for sure, but I don&rsquo;t think it will be a deciding factor. We didn&rsquo;t see any dew out there,&rdquo; Suryakumar said at the post-match press conference on Wednesday.&nbsp;India, against Hong Kong, posted the highest first-innings total at the Dubai International stadium since the start of 2021, and Suryakumar revealed that one of the factors that aided the side was the role clarity that was present within the batters. Batting first proved to be India&rsquo;s kryptonite in the 2021 T20 World Cup, but the 31-year-old insisted that the side currently has enough firepower to take the toss out of the equation.&ldquo;Batting first is definitely a tad challenging. On the night, we kept assessing what would be a good total, how the tempo should be like and how we should go about business at the back end.&nbsp;&ldquo;It helps when the role for each batter is well defined. Even if I hadn&rsquo;t fired, one of Pant or DK bhai or Jaddu bhai would have done the job for the side. There is enough firepower in the unit to post very good first innings totals,&rdquo; Surykumar said.Post the game, skipper Rohit Sharma said that he felt the team could have done better with the ball in hand. Suryakumar admitted that India would have liked to have registered a bigger margin of victory, but the right-hander credited Hong Kong for showing fight and revealed that the team are still chuffed with registering a handsome win.&nbsp;&ldquo;We tried our best to widen the winning margin but Hong Kong showed very good fight at the end. They have also done a lot of things right to qualify for the Asia Cup. They played really well and in the second innings, the wicket also became a little easier to bat. Credit goes to them. We&rsquo;re still very happy with the victory.&rdquo;On the night, Suryakumar finished with an astonishing SR of 261.54, but India were reeling in third gear when the right-hander walked in, 94/2 in 13 overs, with both KL Rahul and Virat Kohli struggling to gain rhythm. Rahul, in particular, had a mare, amassing 36 off 39 balls.&nbsp;The 31-year-old, who looked like he batted on a different wicket, asserted that he was the beneficiary of a crystal clear game-plan, and further revealed that Kohli, out in the middle, advised him to simply go and express himself.&ldquo;At the beginning the wicket was a touch slow, but out in the middle, Virat bhai asked me to go and express myself. I had a very clear game plan and the knock was very enjoyable.&rdquo;&nbsp;Criticism came KL Rahul&rsquo;s way both during the game and after his innings, but Suryakumar defended the opener, claiming that the 30-year-old needs time to get back into rhythm, having spent a lengthy period on the sidelines.&ldquo;He is returning from injury, he needs time to get into rhythm and thankfully we have time on our hands right now,&rdquo; Suryakumar said of Rahul.Rahul&rsquo;s knock was one of the downsides for India on Wednesday, alongside the spells of Avesh Khan and Arshdeep Singh, who between them conceded 97 off 8 overs. Avesh, in particular, had a night to forget as he leaked 53 runs in his spell, going at an eye-watering economy of 13.20.But despite both Avesh and Arshdeep enduring tough nights, Suryakumar praised the efforts of the young seamers and insisted that they were unlucky to run into &lsquo;one of those nights&rsquo; where nothing goes an individual&rsquo;s way.&ldquo;Both Arshdeep and Avesh bowled well. It happens that on certain occasions, bowlers undergo off-days. There was no shortage of effort from them on the night. Right now, I feel everyone&rsquo;s in a good space, bowling well.&rdquo;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

On Wednesday, India became just the second team in the last three years to successfully defend a target in Dubai in T20Is

Suryakumar Yadav

Asia Cup, 2022

India

Don’t think toss is a deciding factor: Suryakumar Yadav 

15.1: <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/3993/virat-kohli/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Virat Kohli</a> is facing the Hong Kong medium pacer Aizaz Khan. It is a fuller length delivery on the middle stump. Kohli skips down the track and smacks the bowler for a six over cow corner.&nbsp;It reminded of Kohli of the old. The times when he won the Player of the Tournament in back-to-back T20 World Cups - 2014 and 2o16. The times when his sheer presence was an assurance of all good things. The times when he averaged in excess of 50 irrespective of the format.&nbsp;Fast forward to 2022, and things are different. There are questions over Kohli&rsquo;s form. He has slowed down when other teams are inculcating a quicker approach. Have his reflexes slowed down? Is he done? Have we seen the last of King Kohli at his peak?&nbsp;<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1661984061456-articleimg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Heading into this <a href="https://www.cricket.com/series/international/2637/asia-cup-2022/matches" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Asia Cup</a>, Kohli&rsquo;s form was the biggest point of discussion for India. A forgettable time in the gulf nation could raise questions on his spot for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia, inducing polarized opinions.&nbsp;The significance of the same elevated in <a href="https://www.cricket.com/match-score/215318/summary/ind-vs-hk-match-4-asia-cup-2022" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">this fixture, against Hong Kong</a>. India did not have a lot to gather from this match, facing an Associate nation and having played so many T20Is this year already. Can Kohli lay the foundation to hit form again? That was the question on everyone&rsquo;s mind.&nbsp;While that six against Aizaz rekindled the memories of the old Kohli, he had done enough in the innings by that point to underline that he has still got it.&nbsp;*****A notable aspect of Kohli&rsquo;s slump has been his power-hitting game against spin. From 2014 to 2019, he averaged 65.5 vs spinners in T20s at a strike-rate of 134.8. From 2020 onwards, the strike-rate plummeted to 106, alongside an average of 44.4.&nbsp;Hong Kong are one of those subcontinent sides that rely heavily on their spinners. None of their pacers are capable of clocking 140 kph mark on the speed-o-meter, and bowl with the same military medium speed. Meanwhile, their spin attack is well rounded, with all three kinds of spinners; left-arm spin, off-spin and leg-break. The pitch in Dubai is slow and usually offers grip to the tweakers.&nbsp;Hong Kong may not be a hot-shot on the cricket field but still posed a challenge to Kohli.&nbsp;<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1661984100457-articleimg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">In addition, India&rsquo;s &lsquo;runs at all costs&rsquo; approach was another obstacle for the Delhi-born. Will he be able to cope with that during a period of lull? He tried that in the three T20Is against England last month but it didn&rsquo;t come off.&nbsp;On Wednesday (August 31), India started slow. They were 38/1 in 4.5 overs when Rohit Sharma crossed paths with Kohli. He must have transferred the message that the pitch is slow. Consequently, the score in mind while batting first must have also been reduced.&nbsp;This must have allowed Kohli to play himself. The slow nature of the track was a challenge for him but probably it also worked in his favor a tad bit.&nbsp;*****Spin was employed as soon as Kohli walked in. The off-spinner, Ehsan Khan was brought on in the sixth over. The part-time wrist-spin of Yasim Murtaza was introduced in the eighth over. Kohli just maneuvered them around for ones and twos to initiate his innings. He was 11 off 12 balls.&nbsp;The scorecard - IND 57/1 in eight overs - carried a grim reading. KL Rahul, 21 off 25 balls at the other end, struggled. Someone had to take charge. After Rahul&rsquo;s six in the subsequent over, it was Kohli post the drinks break.&nbsp;From 2020 onwards until the start of this Asia Cup, Kohli managed a strike-rate of only 112 against leg-spinners. In Dubai, he broke the shackles with a boundary against the young leggie Mohammed Ghazafar - manufactured by some judicious footwork down the pitch - &nbsp;for a straight down the ground.&nbsp;Kohli&rsquo;s next six balls brought five runs before he cracked a six over cow corner.&nbsp;That was Kohli&rsquo;s mantra to tackle Hong Kong&rsquo;s spin - rotate the strike to keep the scoreboard moving and find a boundary in between to stay ahead of the asking rate.&nbsp;From 15 off 18 balls at the start of his innings, Kohli notched up a vital half-century in 40 balls. It may not seem like a pathbreaker at the first glance but based on the conditions, it had high significance. The start was still not ideal but for a change, the 33-year old was able to build his innings, while picking up the run-rate.&nbsp;Out of his 59 off 44 balls, Kohli scored 41 off 30 balls versus spin. His strike-rate against spin was 136.7, his best in an innings where he has played more than 10 balls of spin bowling since the second day of the 2022 season of IPL, in March.&nbsp;<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1661984008260-articleimg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">At the heart of his acceleration was his diligent practice of playing the slog sweep. Kohli played slog sweeps facing Ravindra Jadeja in the nets prior to India&rsquo;s opening encounter of the tournament on Sunday (August 28). The practice came to fruition facing Hong Kong, where the former skipper nailed two slog sweeps, both deposited over cow corner for sixes.&nbsp;It is the first time the right-hander has struck three sixes in an innings since September 2021, when he scored 51 off 42 with three sixes against Mumbai. On Wednesday, Kohli replicated it after a gap of 30 innings.&nbsp;As stated above, an innings of 59 from 44 balls won&rsquo;t be the most talked about innings in most T20 games. But with Kohli, everything is at a level above that it is for others. He was overshadowed by the Suryakumar Yadav blitz in the final phase of India&rsquo;s innings. But with his knock, Kohli provided India with the biggest takeaway they were searching for in this contest.&nbsp;This is by no means an assessment that he is back in form. Kohli still started slow and Hong Kong is not the best examination. But sometimes, these kinds of knocks can set the ball rolling for bigger things.&nbsp;If not, will India take Kohli to Australia on the basis of his reputation and this half-century against Hong Kong?&nbsp;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Virat Kohli's 59 against Hong Kong doesn't confirm that he is back in form but it can set the ball rolling for bigger things

Virat Kohli

Hong Kong

Kohli delivers promise for bigger things

India captain Rohit Sharma was in awe of Suryakumar Yadav&#39;s knock of 66 not out off 28 balls against Hong Kong which laid the foundation for their 40-run victory on Wednesday at Dubai.Suryakumar and Virat Kohli (59 not out off 44 balls) added 98 runs off just 42 balls as India posted 192/2 in 20 overs. Suryakumar went on a rampage in the final over bowled by Haroon Arshad by hitting the seamer for four sixes.&quot;Honestly the kind of innings that he played today, the words will be short. Every now and then, he comes up with such kind of knocks. With the confidence he&#39;s got, he&#39;s going to come out and bat fearlessly, and some of the shots he played today, they are not in the books,&quot; Rohit said in the post-match presentation.India rested Hardik Pandya for the match and included Rishabh Pant with Dinesh Karthik also in the team. Rohit said that the changing XI and flexible batting order has already been communicated to the players.&quot;It is something we want to keep in our minds. We&#39;ve also informed the group about this. Most of the guys are ready to take the opportunity and bat wherever they need to,&quot; Rohit said.Despite setting a big target, India were able to pick up five wickets and conceded 37 runs off the final three overs as Hong Kong finished 152/5 in 20 overs. Rohit felt that his team could&#39;ve done well with the ball.&quot;We batted pretty well to start with, and got to a very good score at the end, and came out and bowled reasonably well. Thought we could have done slightly better with the ball,&quot; he said.Hong Kong skipper Nizakat Khan lauded Suryakumar&#39;s innings and was happy with his side&#39;s performance despite the defeat.&quot;I think the way we started with the ball, we were amazing till 13th over, fielding was good too. But we slipped after that, especially in the death overs, but the way Suryakumar batted, it was good to watch,&quot; Nizakat said.&quot;I know we were away for a long time, boys were playing with injuries, credit goes to them, very proud of them,&quot; he added.Hong Kong and Pakistan will face off for the second qualification spot for Super Fours on Friday at Sharjah.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

India captain Rohit Sharma heaped praise on Suryakumar Yadav who scored an unbeaten 68 off 26 balls against Hong Kong

Rohit Sharma

Words are short to describe Suryakumar's innings: Rohit

Though Hong Kong lost by 40 runs, their efforts were commendable. Batting first, India looked like they would crawl to a total around the 160-170 mark. However, a Suryakumar Yadav special propelled the total to a massive 192. In response, Hong Kong were on track in the first six overs when they were 51/2. But the Indian spinners pulled things back and helped Rohit Sharma&#39;s side seal the super four spot.SKY exceeding limitsIt is hard to compare any batter with AB de Villiers, but if any one that comes close to him is Surya. His innings today against Hong Kong was an example of it.<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1661977625436-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-fil">Coming into bat in the last six overs of the innings, Surya blasted his way to a sensational unbeaten knock of 68 from 26 balls. Out of those 68, 60 runs came through boundaries. He scored 53 runs in the last five overs. Only the second Indian batter after Yuvraj Singh in 2007 against England to score 50+ runs in the last five overs.He hit six fours and six maximums, all six of those came in the last five overs. Only Yuvraj in his blinder against England in 2007, had hit more sixes (7) among Indians in this phase of an innings.Rohit reaches new heightsAfter going past Martin Guptill&rsquo;s tally of 3497 runs in the match against Pakistan, Rohit registered 3500 runs with a single in the first ball of the innings. He now is the first batsman to the landmark. He was also the first batter to reach the 2500-run mark in T20Is.In the fifth over of the innings, before being dismissed, Rohit registered 12k runs as an opener in international cricket. He is the 15th opener overall and fourth Indian to achieve this feat in international cricket. Among the 15, he is the second fastest (276 innings) after Sachin Tendulkar (270) to the landmark.Virat Kohli equals RohitAt one point of time, both of India&rsquo;s best batters, Virat Kohli and Rohit were competing each other, innings by innings, for the top spot (highest run scorer in T20Is). But now, Rohit is 118 runs ahead of Kohli in the race.However, in his innings against Hong Kong, Kohli leveled the number of 50+ scores hit by Rohit. With 31 scores of over 50, Kohli now has the joint most 50+ scores in T20Is alongside the Indian skipper.India go big in the last five oversAt the end of the 15th over, India had only 114 runs on board. Kohli and Surya started off the last five overs stage with a 20-run 16th over. Apart from the four-run overs by Ehsan Khan (17th), India scored 13+ runs in the remaining four overs. By virtue of it, India scored 78 runs, which is their third most runs scored in this phase of an innings.<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1661977662414-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-fil">Out of those 78 runs, 48 came through sixes, two by Kohli and six from Surya&rsquo;s bat. The eight sixes hit in the last five overs are the most in an innings in this phase for India. &nbsp;Avesh Khan&rsquo;s poor outingIn both the matches so far, Avesh&rsquo;s bowling has been a concern. In the match against Pakistan, he leaked runs at an economy of 9.5 in his two overs and in this match, he conceded 53 runs in his four-over spell, an economy of 13.25.<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1661977701296-articleimg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib fr-fil">Making his debut in 2022, Avesh has played 15 matches and has an economy of 9.1, not the start he would have expected. In a calendar year of T20I, among bowlers who have bowled 25+ overs, no Indian bowler has conceded more than Avesh. &nbsp;Rahul struggling to find his touchIn recent times, KL Rahul has been under scrutiny for slow start. In the era of India&rsquo;s new approach, Rahul&rsquo;s return as opener made way for criticism. His knock today has widened it even more.As usual, his start was very slow as he scored only four runs in his first 10 balls. But even after his first 10, he failed to get going. In the end, he scored 36 of 39 balls at a strike rate of 92.3. In his T20I career, for the first time in an innings where he scored 20+ runs, Rahul scored at a strike rate of less than 100. His previous lowest came against Zimbabwe in 2016 (110).Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Here are a few noteworthy stats from Match four of Asia Cup 2022 between India and Hong Kong in Dubai

Stats: Suryakumar’s blazing innings and Kohli’s record equaling half-century

India were not at their best but Suryakumar Yadav was, his 26-ball 68 paving the way for the defending champions&#39; 40-run victory over Hong Kong and entry into the Super 4 of the Asia Cup here on Wednesday.Suryakumar&#39;s scintillating knock lifted a sedate India to 192 for two, the Mumbaikar easily overshadowing Virat Kohli&#39;s fluent half-century after Hong Kong opted to bowl first.Hong Kong were off to a good start with the bat, but the 193-run target proved to be too much for them, ending at 152 for five in the stipulated 20 overs.Suryakumar orchestrated the carnage while Kohli made an unbeaten 59 from 44 balls, his first international fifty in more than six months, as India amassed 78 runs in the final five overs.Arshdeep Singh (1/44) gave the breakthrough, while Ravindra Jadeja effected a direct hit to remove skipper Nizakat Khan and then dismissed their top-scorer Bahar Hayat (41) to derail their chase.Hong Kong&#39;s scoring rate dropped considerably after the powerplay, with just 14 runs coming in four overs, and the Indian spinners made things difficult with Jadeja (1/15 in 4 overs) leading the show in a tidy spell, three days after he impressed with the bat against Pakistan.This was India&#39;s fifth consecutive win in T20Is as they entered the Super 4 as Group A toppers with two victories from as many matches. India defeated Pakistan by five wickets in their opener here on Sunday.Hong Kong and Pakistan will battle it out at Sharjah on Friday to vie for the second slot from Group A. Put in on a two-paced wicket, the famed Indian top-order in skipper Rohit Sharma (21) and his deputy KL Rahul (36) struggled to break free against their inexperienced rivals.Rahul, who is coming back from an injury layoff, looked out of sorts and consumed 39 balls for his 36. Of his two sixes, one came off a free-hit as the Indian vice-captain allowed pressure to mount on his skipper, who was the first to get out.Rohit departed for a 13-ball 21, but not before becoming the first to get past 3500 runs in T20Is. Rohit also crossed 12000 runs as an opener in international cricket, the second fastest after Sachin Tendulkar.Under pressure to break free, Rahul eventually perished, sweeping a delivery outside off to get an edge behind the stumps. Then, Suryakumar showed how it&#39;s done. The game&#39;s complexion changed in no time with Suryakumar&#39;s fireworks lighting up the Dubai skyline.Hong Kong bowlers had no answer to Surkyakumar&#39;s 360-degree shots and last-minute improvisation. At the other end, Kohli looked fluent and got to his first half-century in international cricket since his 52 against the West Indies in at T20I in Kolkata on February 18.Having shown his intent in a 34-ball 35 against Pakistan on Sunday, Kohli played the sheet anchor role en route to his 31st T20I fifty. In no time Suryakumar joined Kohli and overshadowed the former skipper.Batting on 42, Suryakumar smashed Haroon Arshad for four sixes from five balls in the final over, which yielded India 26 runs. He got to his sixth T20I fifty in just 22 balls, his fastest.The pair added 98 runs in an unbroken third-wicket partnership that came from just 42 balls. India stepped up in style in the final five overs, which got them 78 runs.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

With two victories from two matches, India qualified for the Super Fours from Group A

Kohli, Suryakumar shine as India outclass Hong Kong by 40 runs

LIVE: India vs Hong Kong, Group A, Asia Cup 2022

As it happened: India overpower Hong Kong to book spot in Super Four 

Having won 17 of the 21 T20Is they&rsquo;ve played so far this calendar year, team India are shaping up to be red-hot favorites for the T20 World Cup in Australia next month, but ahead of the side&rsquo;s Asia Cup clash against Hong Kong in Dubai, all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja insisted that the team are not &lsquo;thinking too far ahead&rsquo;.India entered the Pakistan clash on Sunday having won 7 of their previous 9 T20Is, and in Dubai, the Men in Blue made it 8 in 10 by overpowering the Babar Azam-led side that showed plenty of fight and character.&nbsp;But despite the side&rsquo;s utter dominance in the shortest format this year, Jadeja stressed that the team is consciously taking it &lsquo;one match at a time&rsquo;, and are currently only focused on the job at hand, which is overcoming the Nizakat Khan-led Hong Kong unit.&nbsp;&quot;We will look to play positive cricket, as a team we will try and give our best in each game. We will look to focus on each game, try and take it one game at a time. We will try to not think too far ahead (about the World Cup). We are still here in UAE and our focus currently is on the Hong Kong match,&rdquo; Jadeja said on Tuesday, in the press conference prior to the Hong Kong clash.The 33-year-old further asserted that the Men in Blue will not take Hong Kong lightly. The Nizakat Khan-led unit will enter Wednesday&rsquo;s clash as massive underdogs, but they notably are currently on a three-match winning streak, having won all their games in the Qualifiers.&nbsp;&quot;We are going to play against Hong Kong with a positive mindset and we will not take them lightly. On a given day, anything can happen in T20Is. We will give our best and play positively,&rdquo; Jadeja said.&nbsp;India will enter the Hong Kong clash having won each of their previous 4 T20Is, and Jadeja played a crucial role in the last of the four wins, with the bat in hand. Promoted to No.4 in the absence of Rishabh Pant &mdash; in order to counter Pakistan&rsquo;s spinners &mdash; Jadeja struck a match-winning 35 that took the game away from the Men in Green. Spin is not Jadeja&rsquo;s forte, but the southpaw, on the night, took on the left-arm spin of Mohammad Nawaz (SR of 185.7) to deter Pakistan&rsquo;s plans.&nbsp;Prior to the contest the 33-year-old had batted only twice in the Top 4, but the left-hander revealed that, with Pant not in the XI, he was mentally prepared to walk in early and do a job for the side.&nbsp;&ldquo;Sometimes, left-arm spinners and leg spinners are bowling, so sending left-handed batters is easy and they can take chances. That is why I was promoted. We had seen their (Pakistan) playing XI, they had a left-arm spinner and leg spinner.&nbsp;&ldquo;So I was aware that I could face this situation. I prepared myself mentally accordingly. Luckily, I went and my knock was crucial,&quot; he said.But when asked if him batting in the Top 4 would become a common sight, Jadeja claimed that there was &lsquo;no guarantee&rsquo;.&nbsp;&quot;There is no guarantee. Every bowling unit has different composition and different strengths. So we&#39;ll plan accordingly.&quot;The Indian spinners &mdash; Chahal and Jadeja himself &mdash; did not have the greatest of impacts against Pakistan, returning combined figures of 0/43 off 6 overs, but Jadeja insisted that, despite going empty on the wickets column, the slower bowlers did their job. The all-rounder attested that Sunday was one of those nights where everything the pacers touched turned into gold.&quot;Spinners also contributed. But sometimes it happens that you bowl well and you do not get wickets but fast bowlers do not bowl that well but get wickets. T20I is like that. The pacers get wickets on a full toss sometimes. Everyone bowled well and pacers gave us wickets when we needed them. Hardik Pandya gave us breakthroughs, then Bhuvneshwar took two in an over,&quot; Jadeja said.&nbsp;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

India will enter the Hong Kong clash having won 8 of their last 10 T20Is 

Ravindra Jadeja

We’re not thinking too far ahead, taking it one game at a time: Jadeja

After winning a pulsating game against arch-rivals Pakistan, India take on Hong Kong in their second match of Asia Cup 2022. This is the first time the two teams will be playing in T20 Internationals (T20I). However, the last time they met in this competition was in 2018, which was a 50-over affair, when Hong Kong fell short by 26 runs in pursuit of 286.Hong Kong go into this competition at the back of three continuous wins in the Qualifier, defeating Kuwait, Singapore and the T20 World Cup-bound UAE.&nbsp;Ground detailsIn the two matches in Asia Cup in Dubai, 66.7% of the wickets have fallen to pacers and they have done so 18.4 runs, 13.7 deliveries apart. The spinners, on the other hand, have been far more economical (6.1) compared to the pacers (8.1), playing a pivotal role in choking the batters.Things have more or less been similar in Dubai with over 61% of the wickets falling to fast bowlers in the last three years. The team winning the toss will look to bowl first as they have in the two games in the tournament so far.<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1661863885360-articleimg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Make sure to have quality spinners like Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Yamin Murtaza and Ehsan Khan in your side as they could play a pivotal role for their teams and get you some valuable points. Murtaza and Jadeja who bat in the top four could fetch you useful points in the batting department as well.Suggested team<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1661863932302-articleimg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">While you could go for the above team, you can also choose your team from Cricket.com&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.cricket.com/fantasy-research-center/215318/ind-vs-hk-match-4-asia-cup-2022" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Fantasy Research Centre</a>. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.Captaincy suggestionsFor Small Leagues: Hardik Pandya (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (vc)For Grand Leagues: KL Rahul (c), Yasim Murtaza (vc)Stats that matterHardik Pandya has been in the form of his life of late, and this year alone, he has notched up 314 runs at a strike-rate of 144. With the ball, he has scalped 11 wickets at an economy rate of 8.3. Among full-members, only Sikandar Raza (516) and Rovman Powell (449) and Harry Tector (344) have scored more runs than Pandya (314) in the middle-order (4-7).&nbsp;Only Sandeep Lamichhane (36) and Joshua Little (28) have picked up more wickets than Bhuvneshwar Kumar (24) in T20Is this year. He bowled beautifully in the Asia Cup opener against Pakistan as well, finishing with 4 for 26 from his four overs. He will once again be key to providing India with the breakthrough early on and then later at the death as well.Grand League PuntsHong Kong could face the wrath of KL Rahul, who will be hungrier to score big after getting out first ball against Pakistan. Despite his failure, Rahul has three T20I fifties from his last five innings. He returned to the side for the Zimbabwe tour after a long injury lay-off and in his three innings since he has registered two single-digit scores. This could be the match where he gets back among the runs.Yasim Murtaza has quietly gone about his business this year. His slow left-arm orthodox have fetched him seven wickets at an economy rate under six, but with the bat, he has scored 151 runs at a strike-rate of 105. Only Babar Hayat (217) and Nizakat Khan (249) have scored more runs. Opening the innings, he scored 58 against UAE in the final Qualifier match and will go into this match full of confidence.&nbsp;Top Criclytics picks:<img src="https://images-cricketcom.imgix.net/1661864107824-articleimg" style="width: 600px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Probable XIs:India: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh&nbsp;Hong Kong: Yasim Murtaza, Nizakat Khan (c), Babar Hayat, Kinchit Shah, Aizaz Khan, Scott McKechnie (wk), Zeeshan Ali, Haroon Arshad, Ehsan Khan, Mohammad Ghazanfar/Dhananjay Rao/Mohammad Waheed, Ayush ShuklaPowered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Here are a few tips that could help you create your fantasy XI for the Asia Cup clash between India and Hong Kong

Hardik Pandya

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Yasim Murtaza

Fantasy: Should Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli be in your side?

India were pushed to the limits by a determined Pakistan side that had two of their first-choice fast bowlers &ndash; Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Wasim &ndash; missing out due to injury. Initially set up brilliantly by the bowlers, India had some useful contributions with the bat from the likes of Virat Kohli (35), Ravindra Jadeja (35) and Hardik Pandya (33*) to steer them home.They next come up against a Hong Kong unit that is high on confidence having won all the matches in the Qualifiers, including a win against the T20 World Cup-bound UAE. But when it comes to India, each and every player will have to be at their best to pip the top-ranked side.Toss will be of great importance in this game. Dubai, for that matter in the UAE, you win the toss, you are more or less assured of winning the game. In T20Is since 2021, 13 of the 15 matches have been won by the team who it right at the toss and the trend is most likely to continue in this tournament as well.Hong Kong nearly edged past India in the Asia Cup 2018, falling short by 26 runs short in the end, chasing 286 after opening batters Anshuman Rath and Nizakat Khan put up 174 for the first wicket.Since then though the likes of Rath and Mark Chapman have gone on to pursue their careers in India and New Zealand respectively. Chris Carter quit international cricket to train to become a pilot in Australia. But the good news is that a few players, Babar Hayat and Scott McKechnie to name a few, who missed a huge chunk of action since then have been drafted back into the side, making an instant impact.&nbsp;However, it is their spin duo of Ehsan Khan and Yasim Murtaza who will be key to Hong Kong&rsquo;s chances. Ehsan, whose bowling action was under scrutiny four years ago, finished as the leading wicket-taker in the qualifiers with nine wickets at nine, while Murtaza picked up just three. Murtaza though finished as the leading run-getter in the tournament with 130 runs and will once again likely be used at the top of the order, opening the innings with skipper Nizakat.&nbsp;ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/hong-kongs-rise-and-fall-can-they-scale-greater-heights-1661749794904" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hong Kong&rsquo;s rise and fall: Can they scale greater heights?</a>Rest of Hong Kong&#39;s batting line-up, consisting of Hayat, Kinchit Shah, Aizaz Khan and McKechnie, picks itself. Given that Kinchit can ship in with a few off-spinners, the only bone of contention for Hong Kong will be leg-spinner Mohammad Ghazanfar. Recently-capped medium-pacer Ateeq Iqbal could be a good option in his place.&nbsp;Given Indian batter&rsquo;s struggle against left-arm pacers, it would not be a bad idea to include one of Dhananjay Rao or Mohammad Waheed &ndash; the uncapped duo &ndash; a go.Hong Kong probable XI: Yasim Murtaza, Nizakat Khan (c), Babar Hayat, Kinchit Shah, Aizaz Khan, Scott McKechnie (wk), Zeeshan Ali, Haroon Arshad, Ehsan Khan, Mohammad Ghazanfar/Dhananjay Rao/Mohammad Waheed, Ayush ShuklaThough India did very little wrong against Pakistan, they were certainly taken aback by the onslaught from No. 11 batter Shahnawaz Dahani, who added a crucial 16 runs off his six deliveries. Arshdeep Singh resorted to bowling short against him and despite the fact that the majority of the wickets fell to such deliveries, it certainly was not advisable against a tail ender who was just waiting for such balls to cut loose.&nbsp;A full and straight delivery eventually brought about the wicket, which is the length the pacer should have bowled right from the beginning, which could have made the run-chase a tad easier.India did not play Rishabh Pant against Pakistan thereby making Jadeja the sole left-hand batter. He was promoted to four and along with Hardik, he put on a match-winning stand of 52 before throwing it away in the final over.&nbsp;It was a redemption of sorts for Hardik, who four years ago in the same fixture, at the same venue and in the same tournament broke down with injury. Now he is not just able to finish matches for India with the bat but his bowling too that has played a pivotal role &ndash; an excellent sign with the T20 World Cup on the horizon.<div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 754px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="Twitter Tweet" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1564126869753999361&lang=en&origin=http%3A%2F%2Fconsole.incdcdev.com%2Farticles%2Fedit%2Fhigh-flying-hong-kong-look-to-provide-india-with-stern-test-1661853403276&sessionId=091e8b6125462f92c575f7407e109600c5f61f7c&theme=light&widgetsVersion=31f0cdc1eaa0f%3A1660602114609&width=550px" data-tweet-id="1564126869753999361"></iframe></div>The trio of KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav added 30 off 37 deliveries, leaving a lot to do for the rest. They will look to make amends against Hong Kong, who provide them the best chance to get some runs under their belt. That could mean Pant missing out once again.India probable XI: Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh&nbsp;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Having gone through the Qualifiers unscathed, can Hong Kong upset India?

Nizakat Khan

Ehsan Khan

Babar Hayat

High-flying Hong Kong look to provide India a stern test

Four years ago, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/63751/hardik-pandya/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hardik Pandya</a> was stretchered off the field due to a career-threatening back injury against the same opponents at the same venue.&nbsp;In the first match of this edition of the <a href="https://www.cricket.com/series/international/2637/asia-cup-2022/matches" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Asia Cup</a> against arch-rivals Pakistan, Hardik Pandya feels a &quot;sense of achievement&quot; after guiding India to a five-wicket win with his all-around performance.&nbsp;Hardik dished out an all-round effort, first returning with figures of 3 for 25 and then playing a 17-ball unbeaten 33-run knock to guide India home on Sunday after an injury that hampered his game for more than three years.&nbsp;In a video posted by BCCI, Hardik said, &quot;Happy to get this win because it was very important for us. Our nerves were checked, and as a team, we were challenged as well. Loved the way he <a href="https://www.cricket.com/players/3850/ravindra-jadeja/career-stats" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ravindra Jadeja</a> came out and played as well.&quot;&quot;I was recollecting everything from being carried on the stretcher and the same dressing room. You feel a sense of achievement after all the things happened and again getting an opportunity today,&quot; he further added.&nbsp;After undergoing surgery on his back, the 28-year-old put in gruelling hours of rehabilitation and strength training to start playing for India again. He credited the role of former Indian team physio Nitin Patel, who is currently the head of BCCI Sports Science, and current strength and conditioning coach Soham Desai for his successful comeback.&quot;That journey was very beautiful. We get the fruits of the journey but behind the scenes, whoever has worked with me never gets the credit. So, I always believe in giving credit to the person who deserves it. Nitin Patel, Soham Desai, I will give credit to them for whatever comeback I have made,&quot; the all-rounder said.Hardik said he was planning one over at a time and would have &quot;fancied&quot; his chances even if India needed 15 runs rather than the seven that they scored in the final over to win the game.&quot;In a chase like this, you always plan over-by-over. I always knew that there was one young bowler (Naseem Shah or Shahnawaz Dahani) and also one left-arm spinner (Mohammad Nawaz).&quot;We only needed seven off the last over, but even if we needed 15, I&#39;d have fancied myself. I know the bowler is under more pressure than me in the 20th over. I try to keep things simple,&quot; said India&#39;s No. 1 all-rounder.&quot;Seven runs didn&#39;t look very big to me. I was least bothered about the left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz and five fielders outside the circle because whatever the situation was, I had to hit. But in the entire innings, the only time I showed some emotions was when you got out,&quot; he said in a free-flowing chat with Jadeja posted on bcci.tv.&quot;There was no pressure in my mind. According to me, he had more pressure. I was just counting on a mistake from him. The better you handle pressure, then only you can execute properly.&quot;Hardik and Jadeja shared a crucial 52-run stand for the fifth wicket to get India closer to the target before the latter departed in the first ball of the final over.&quot;Me and Jaddu have been playing together for 7-8 years. The Indian team is always known for their top 3, we are very grateful to be getting opportunities and we are able to perform.&quot;Our process is not just for this tournament; our process is for the World Cup. If such a situation comes again, definitely we will remember and take inspiration from this match,&quot; Hardik said.Jadeja, who played an attacking 29-ball 35-run knock after being promoted in the batting order, termed his innings on Sunday as &quot;very important&quot;.&quot;It was very important because when I was promoted in the batting, my thought was to take as many chances against the spinners. I was looking to hit the big shots. Our partnership was very important,&quot; he said.India will lock horns against Hong Kong on Wednesday, 31st August, in Dubai.&nbsp;(With inputs from PTI)Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

The all-rounder scalped three wickets in the first innings and smashed an unbeaten 33 off 17 deliveries to guide India over the line against Pakistan

IND VS HK,Match 4

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