Team India defeated Pakistan by five wickets in their opening game of the Asia Cup 2022, but the Men in Blue looked far from comfortable in the match. Skipper Rohit Sharma took everyone by surprise when he decided to go with Dinesh Karthik instead of Rishabh Pant as wicketkeeper.
Former opener Gautam Gambhir perhaps completely summed up the fans' bemusement once Rohit announced his decision. Heading into the next match against Hong Kong on Wednesday, the dilemma remains for the Indian captain.
Furthermore, it remains to be seen whether the 35-year-old will stick to the same winning formula that worked wonders against Pakistan, or will he try and Test the bench strength available to him against Hong Kong.
READ| IND vs HK Asia Cup 2022: Top 5 Hong Kong players India should be wary of in Asia Cup
As far as the Indian lineup is concerned, the openers KL Rahul and Rohit himself, both struggled against Pakistan, but they will look to provide India will a stable platform in the upcoming fixture. At number 3, Virat Kohli showed signs of his old self, but he gifted his wicket away in the end.
Fans will expect a better show from the former Indian skipper, whereas, Suryakumar Yadav will continue to as India's number 4, while Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja could be promoted just like in the previous game, depending on the situation of the game.
Dinesh Karthik may get the nod ahead of Pant, with the Men in Blue choosing DK's experience over the youngster's aggressiveness. Furthermore, Karthik's ability as a match-finisher could come in handy.
READ| 'Any team can beat their opponent on a given day': HK captain Nizakat Khan warns Team India ahead of Asia Cup clash
To test the resolve of Hong Kong batsmen, the Indian management could decide to start with Ravichandran Ashwin, ahead of Avesh Khan, but it will depend totally on how captain Rohit feels like. Yuzvendra Chahal will lead the spin attack, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Arshdeep Singh were both impressive against Pak and will be expected to offer a similar threat against India's next opponents.
Team India's probable playing XI versus Hong Kong:
Rohit Sharma (c), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik/Rishabh Pant (wk), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan/R. Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh
.
