India defeated Hong Kong to win the opening match of the Asia Cup. Team India overcame Pakistan in the opening game by a margin of five wickets, however the top order of India was unable to perform. KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma were able to go easily. Despite the 35 runs Virat Kohli scored. However, they were unable to instil fear in the opposing bowlers. India will now play Hong Kong on August 31 in the second game. Although the two teams cannot be compared, Hong Kong's recent results have been excellent.
India is the top-ranked team in the world in the T20 rankings, while Hong Kong is ranked 20th. Given how they performed during the Asia Cup qualifying matches, this could cause problems for the Indian team. The Hong Kong team fought India hard in the 2018 Asia Cup. India will have to stay away from Hong Kong in this situation.
Hong Kong swept the opposition in all three of their victories in the Asia Cup qualifying games. Hong Kong defeated the UAE and Kuwait by eight wickets, then after scoring 148 runs, they overcame Singapore by eight runs. This team contains three players who could pose a challenge to India. These three athletes have intimate ties to Pakistan. Let us discuss each of these three players individually.
Babar Hayat
Every two years, the Asia Cup alternates between a T20 and an ODI format. The Asia Cup was contested in T20 format for the first time in 2016. In 2018, the Asia Cup in the ODI format came after that. After four years, the Asia Cup is currently in action. Babar Hayat of Hong Kong accomplished a feat no other batsman could match in the first Asia Cup played in the T20 format in 2016, which was played in that year.
Babar Hayat of Hong Kong still holds the record for the most individual innings in the T20 version of the Asia Cup. Against Oman, he scored 122 runs in 60 balls. In this inning, he blasted 7 sixes and 9 fours. Rohit Sharma, who scored 83 points against Bangladesh in 2016, is second on this list. It will be interesting to watch if any batsman in this Asia Cup season can surpass 122 runs.
Ehsan Khan
A right-arm off-break bowler for the Hong Kong squad, Ehsan Khan. The bowler, 37, has represented Hong Kong since 2016. In addition to bowling well, Ehsan Khan can also hit hard shots with the bat. Regarding his T20 career, Ehsan Khan has a 6.06 economy rate while taking 39 wickets in 31 innings of 31 games.
Why is the Asia Cup blowing the batsmen's sleep?
Ehsan Khan has been named man of the match in two of the three Asia Cup qualifiers that Hong Kong is participating in. In all three games, he also dismissed a lot of batsmen. Ehsan picked up 3 wickets versus Singapore, 2 versus Kuwait, and 4 versus the UAE. The batsmen of Pakistan and India won't want to be at all complacent given their recent performances.
Yasem Murtaza
Pakistani cricketer Yasim Murtaza competed for the Rawalpindi cricket team in first-class matches. Murtaza represented Pakistan in 74 First Class, 59 List A, and 33 T20 games between 2006 and 2016.
Yasim Murtaz, the squad's star player, led the team in scoring during the qualifying round, and it is predicted that he will continue to perform well against stronger opposition. Babar Hayat may perform miracles in addition to them. When it comes to bowling, the team's key players are Ehsan Khan and Ayush Shukla. Long innings are another area of expertise for captain Nizakat Khan.