2018 Asia Cup: India Survive Mighty Scare Against Hong Kong, Qualify For Super Four With 26-Run Win

On the eve of their high-profile clash against Pakistan, India survived a mighty scare to beat innocuous-looking Hong Kong by 26 runs in a 2018 Asia Cup group match at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai.

Nightmare of India

On Tuesday evening, overwhelming favourites India entered the field to start their title defence against a second-tier team in the ICC hierarchy, Hong Kong. Nearly seven hours later, early Wednesday morning, Rohit Sharma's India wake up all shaken up, with volumes of nightmarish tales featuring expatriate cricketers from the Subcontinent. Someday. they will tell those stories.

India won the presumed one-sided encounter, but it presented the most successful team in the tournament with new realities. India can ill afford to take the so-called minnows lightly. A lesson well learned, probably. They can also take Sri Lanka's early exit, after losing to Bangladesh and Afghanistan, as a reference point too.

The result means that both India and Pakistan are through to Super Four, thus making Wednesday's clash between the neighbours an inconsequential one. But both the sides will turn up with heavy artillery to earn bragging rights. No India-Pakistan match is irrelevant.

The start

The second Group A match of the 2018 Asia Cup started with India batting first after Hong Kong captain Anshuman Rath won the toss,  then failing to capitalise on Shikhar Dhawan's hundred. It was followed by 34 overs of gruelling as Hong Kong openers toyed with Indian bowlers.

Fortunately for India, it took a maiden-wicket over from Kuldeep Yada to open the floodgates. Even then, they were forced to fight till the last over to escape with a nervy win. 

Defending a total of 285, India failed to rein in Nizakat Khan (92) and Anshuman Rath (73), with the Hong Kong openers posting a 174-run stand, until Yadav broke the partnership in the 35th over. Rath failed to control his drive against a flighted delivery from Yadav. Rohit took a sharp catch even as a livid 20-year-old Hong Kong skipper hit himself in pure frustration.

In the next over, debutant pacer Khaleel Ahmed removed Nizakat Khan. Then Yuzvendra Chahal combined with Mahendra Singh Dhoni to send back Christopher Carter in the following over, leaving Hong Kong at 191/3. Those three wickets in three overs effectively changed the course of the match, as none of the Hong Kong batsmen managed to occupy the crease for a long period.

Presented with a chance to wrap up the match, Indian bowlers ran through the Hong Kong line-up to register a fighting win.

Hong Kong create records

The losing side, however, created a flurry of batting records, mainly thanks to that brilliant opening stand. Despite the defeat, Hong Kong players will retire knowing they have shown the world that they can compete against the best, even in limited opportunities.

Hong Kong's 259/8 is the second highest score by an Associate team against India, behind Kenya's 265/5 at Gwalior in 1998.

In the end, it was the experience which mattered. From a vantage position of 174/1 at the end of 34th over, Hong Kong lost the match, with only 85 runs coming from the remaining play.

For India, Ahmed and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal took three wickets each, while Yadav claimed two. Shardul Takhur, however, failed miserably. The pacer gave away 41 runs from his four overs without success. India's most experienced bowler, Bhuvneshwar Kumar also went wicketless, for figures of 9-0-50-0. One rare sight, indeed. Kedar Yadav did bowl well without success, for figures of 7-0-28-0.

Shikhar Dhawan matters

Earlier in the match, Shikhar Dhawan hit a brilliant hundred to prove that he's still one reliable opener, at least in white-ball cricket. The hundred will help him exorcise the ghost of England Test series. From 237/2 in the 40th over, India added only 48 runs in the last ten overs to post a below-par score of 285/7.

Put into bat, India got off to a good start against the Associate team, with openers Rohit Sharma (23) and Dhawan posting 45 runs for the first wicket in 46 deliveries.

Rohit lost his wicket to Ehsan Khan, caught at mid-off by Nizakat Khan, eighth over. The Indian captain went after the spinner but ended up getting a leading edge.

Ambati Rayudu (60), batting at number three, helped Dhawan build another good stand – this time 116 from 130 balls – as India dominate the proceedings. Rayudu reached his seventh ODI fifty with a four in the 28th over, but he lasted only seven more deliveries.

While going after a nagging bouncer from Ehsan Nawaz, Rayudu played it fine through the empty slip cordon, only to see Hong Kong wicket-keeper completing a stunning Scott McKechnie catch.

Dhawan and Dinesh Karthik batted together for 69 balls to add another 79 runs. The opener also reached his 14th hundred with a single off the last ball of 36th over, bowled by Ehsan Khan. He took 105 balls to reach the milestone.

The left-handed batsman thus became the second quickest Indian, in terms of innings, to hit 14 hundreds behind Virat Kohli. He needed 105 innings, two more than Kohli's. The Indians are third and fourth in the all-time list, behind South African Hashim Amla (84) and Aussie opener David Warner (98).

Dhawan, in the process, also became the first Indian batsman to score a century in the UAE in nearly 18 years. Batting great Sachin Tendulkar was the last one his a hundred in the Emirates, 101 against Sri Lanka in Sharjah in 2000.

After facing two overs' worth of deliveries, Dhawan (127) departed in the 41st over thanks to a top-edge, caught at backward point. And Kinchit Shah finally got the reward for his brilliant spell.

MS Dhoni and middle-order wobble

Former India captain MS Dhoni didn't last long. He walked after facing three balls, without bothering anyone, including the scorers. The veteran was convinced that he nicked Ehsan's fourth delivery of the over. And it indeed was. McKechnie took another catch, but this a big fish.

In the next over, Karthik (33) failed to connect his slog, forcing Hayat to take a good catch at deep. Kinchit made it three wickets in three overs for Hong Kong, and India were 248/5.

Then, Kedar Jadhav played a little good knock to help India inch closer to 300-run mark even as Bhuvneshwar Kumar (9) and Shardul Thakur (0) departed in a hurry. Jadhav remained unbeaten on 28.

Kinchit was the most impressive of Hong Kong bowlers, as the Mumbai-born off-spinner returned with figures of 9-0-39-3. Ehsan Khan took two wickets, while Ehsan Nawaz and Aizaz Khan got a wicket each.

Brief scores

Man of the match: Shikhar Dhawan
India: 287/7 in 50 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 127, Ambati Rayudu 60; Kinchit Shah 3/39, Ehsan Khan 2/65)
Hong Kong: 259/8 in 50 Overs (Nizakat Khan 92, Anshuman Rath 73; Khaleel Ahmed 3/48, Yuzvendra Chahal 3/46)