India is all set to start their campaign at the Asia Cup 2018 as they face Hong Kong in a group A game at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on Tuesday, September 18, 2018.

Live updates:

Overs 50: India 285/7

Overs 48: India 275/5. Shikhar Dhawan 127

Overs 2: India 13/0

Hong Kong wins the toss and they decide to bowl first

The match is scheduled to start at 3:30 PM Local, 5:00 PM IST.

The two teams are slotted in the group A alongside Pakistan. Hong Kong and Pakistan played each other on Sunday, as Pakistan defeated the associate nation by 8 wickets.

In order to stand a chance for the qualification to the next round, Hong Kong needs to do the unthinkable, i.e., beating India in this crucial game. The two teams have faced each other only once in ODIs and that was way back in the Asia Cup 2008. India had won that match by 256 runs in Karachi, Pakistan.

The selection conundrum for India

India has a couple of key decisions to make coming into this tournament. It will be interesting to see who bats No.4 and No. 5 for the side which is coming into the Asia Cup without their captain, Virat Kohli.

Except for the middle-order, the entire line-up can be easily predicted as all the key ODI players for India have been named in the squad which is led by Rohit Sharma.

India will aim to get their plans right before they face Pakistan on September 19. According to Cricbuzz, KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah might be rested for this game, as they have just arrived from England after a long tour.

Khaleel Ahmed will get his debut cap if that happens.

Hong Kong's chance to impress

Hong Kong was comprehensively beaten by Pakistan in their game of the tournament. The defeat might not have broken the spirits of the side which was unbeaten in the Asia Cup qualifiers earlier this month. As an article on Cricbuzz suggests, Hong Kong is likely to stick to the same XI from the previous match, as this same set-up has been impressive in the recent times.

Led by Anshuman Rath, this will be Hong Kong's best chance to catch a few more eyeballs towards them. The Dubai International Cricket Stadium has hosted two games of the Asia Cup so far and the pitch was on the slower side during both the games.

The pitch is unlikely to change as the team winning the toss should opt to bat first. The temperatures will be extreme once again, as it is expected to go past 40 degrees. The hot and dry weather will be the toughest challenge both the teams face in this game.

Read: Pakistan vs Hong Kong live cricket streaming on PTV Sports at 5 PM IST on Sunday

Also read: Asia Cup 2018: Sri Lankan squad strengthened with the inclusion of Lasith Malinga
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