Asia Cup 2018: Team India Report Card - How Rohit & co fared against Hong Kong

Team India started their Asia Cup 2018 with a lacklustre 26-run win over minnows Hong Kong. The ‘Men in Blue’ were given a real scare by the qualifiers as they ran the mighty Indians close with some belligerent batting. India struggled in almost all the departments and the team’s discomfort while playing in the hot and humid conditions of Dubai was also clearly visible. Here is the report card of all the players who represented India in the match:

Rohit Sharma - Rating: 4/10, Verdict: Below Average

On a placid pitch, the Indian captain started off in a positive vein and looked very ominous, but then tried to hoick the off-spinner over mid-wicket and gifted his wicket away. He never looked hurried or out of touch and while, he could not carve out an innings of substance, his promise definitely bodes well for India. His captaincy skills though weren’t on the spot always and he will have to be in control of things in the bigger matches.

Also Read: India vs Pakistan - Live Updates, Asia Cup 2018, Group A match in Dubai

Shikhar Dhawan - Rating: 9/10, Verdict: Very Good

Shunting away the horrors of the England tour, Shikhar Dhawan was on song in familiar conditions against the white ball. Although, the Hong Kong attack was not very threatening, Dhawan looked to be in control and this is good news for India in this campaign, more so ahead of facing the more potent attack of Pakistan.

Ambati Rayudu - Rating: 7/10, Verdict: Good

He missed the England tour after he failed the yo-yo test, but made a comeback to the Indian team and walked out at the number 3 position in the absence of Virat Kohli.

He started slowly, but then hit his stride and compiled a good fifty, but then could not convert his 50 into a big score. Hopefully, he gets a longer rope with the Indian team in this stint.

Dinesh Karthik - Rating: 4/10, Verdict: Below Average

The Indian management persisted with Karthik despite a not very impressive trip to England in the ever-shuffling number 4 position. However, he did not look entirely fluid in his innings, but he should get the entire tournament to prove his worth.

MS Dhoni - Rating: 1/10, Verdict: Poor

A huge cheer reverberated all across the ground when MS Dhoni walked out to bat, but then he did not trouble the scorers as he perished without scoring a run. Dhoni’s presence behind the stumps was assured as ever and he looked to be involved, while giving tips to the bowlers when the Hong Kong batsmen were on song.

Kedar Jadhav - Rating: 5/10, Verdict: Average

Making a comeback after a hamstring injury, he failed to accelerate scoring at just over run a ball. With the ball Jadhav did okay initially but as he bowled more and more, he became ineffective.

Shardul Thakur - Rating: 1/10, Verdict: Very Poor

Lot more was expected out of Shardul Thakur but his bowling was poor against a Hong Kong side that came into the match short of confidence. Lack of discipline didn’t help his cause as he bowled three no balls.

Khaleel Ahmed - Rating: 7/10, Verdict: Good

Making his debut, he was nervous at the start but grew in confidence as the match went on. He took the crucial wicket of Nizakat Khan who looked certain to get a century and ensured India were not humiliated by the minnows.

Kuldeep Yadav - Rating: 6/10, Verdict: Above Average

Was good with his wrist spin and gave India the breakthrough, getting rid of the Hong Kong captain. He did, however, pick up two wickets but, more was expected given how he has bowled in the last few months.

Yuzvendra Chahal -Rating: 7/10, Verdict: Good

Did what was required of him, especially against the tailenders and picked up two wickets off two balls in his last over to kill off any chance of Hong Kong causing any upset.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar - Rating: 5/10, Verdict: Average

Another one who is coming back from an injury and it showed in his bowling. He looked rusty but did his job in the death overs to close out the game for India. Lots of room for improvement.