India’s Asia Cup title defence will kick-start against minnows Hong Kong at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 17. With Hong Kong going down to Pakistan in their opener, a win against the associate member nation will help India through to the next stage of the Asia Cup.

The temperature has risen to 43-degree Celsius and India would not want their players to exert too much considering a crucial Pakistan game the very next day awaiting them.

We take a look at what the combinations could be like for India and what Hong Kong has on offer in their last group stage game of the Asia Cup.

From the Indian dressing room:

In Virat Kohli’s absence, the onus to lead the team and more importantly score runs will fall on the able shoulders of Rohit Sharma. India have been heavily dependent on their regular top three – Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli to score runs in the 50-over format but this Asia Cup will be an opportunity for Ravi Shastri’s team to test their middle order with the 2019 World Cup only a few months away.

Who takes the number three position? India have an option in KL Rahul, who has got runs in the limited overs format and in India’s last Test against England. India also have Ambati Rayudu available who scored the majority of his runs against the new ball in the 2018 VIVO IPL.

The middle order muddle continues with the number four position actually up for grabs. India has tried many men in the past but a concrete number four has still eluded them. Dinesh Karthik has been a prolific run-getter in the limited overs format and he’ll be an option for India to try at number four considering the amount of experience he has. A returning Manish Pandey will also be a contender, especially after scoring heaps for runs for the ‘A’ team in the recently concluded Quadrangular series.

MS Dhoni is expected to bat at number five followed by Kedar Jadhav at number six who marks his return to the national side. India has a very potent and an effective number seven in the hard-hitting Hardik Pandya. The all-rounder will aim to contribute with the ball too.

Talking about the bowling department, India is most likely to persist with Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal as far as spin is concerned. Axar Patel will be an option for Rohit Sharma and his men too.

Jasprit Bumrah will reunite with Bhuvneshwar Kumar to take charge of the pace battery. Shardul Thakur continues to be India’s third seamer along with an uncapped Syed Khaleel Ahmed waiting for his maiden opportunity to represent the nation.

India will also have to consider the fact that they play arch-rivals Pakistan the next immediate day and this match against Hong Kong could be an opportunity to rest the big boys.

From the Hong Kong dressing room:

Hong Kong captain Anshuman Rath was critical of the fact that his batsmen fell to soft dismissals more than Pakistani bowlers earning their wickets. Like India, Hong Kong’s experience lies in the top three.

Opener Nizakat Khan has shown a lot of intent but his numbers don’t speak for himself. Captain Rath opens the batting alongside him and has good form and runs to back him. He struck a hundred against UAE earlier this month but his real aim will be to prove his potential against Bumrah and Co. Another man who notched a ton in the same game was Babar Hayat, Hong Kong’s leading run-getter in ODIs.

Hong Kong will pin their hopes on these three to do the bulk of their scoring. Christopher Carter and Kinchit Shah both are wicketkeepers but play as specialist batsmen so a lot will be expected from them too in the middle order.

Hong Kong played three seamers – Tanwir Afzal, Ehsan Nawaz and Aizaz Khan against Pakistan but it was the right-arm off break of Ehsan Khan that proved effective.

Nadeem Ahmed’s slow left-arm spin will be vital to Hong Kong considering the number of right-handers that India possess.

This first group match will serve as a dress rehearsal for the Indian team ahead of the crucial clash against Pakistan.