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The Indian cricket team couldn’t have asked for a better start to their Asia Cup title defence, as they outclassed arch-rivals Pakistan by five wickets.

Riding on the heroic efforts of all-rounder Hardik Pandya, the Men in Blue chased a target of 148 with two balls to spare. Bhuvneshwar Kumar also stood out as the top performer, bagging four wickets for 26 runs.

India’s opponents, Hong Kong, will begin their Asia Cup campaign on Wednesday. The Nizakat Khan-led team qualified for the event thanks to an eight-wicket win over UAE in the final match of the Asia Cup 2022 qualifiers.

Here are some key pointers ahead of the India vs Hong Kong clash at the Asia Cup 2022:

India vs Hong Kong head-to-head record

Interestingly, India and Hong Kong have never faced each other in T20Is. They, however, have locked horns twice in the ODI format with India winning both times.

The last head-to-head meeting between the teams was a 50-over game at the 2018 Asia Cup, where India survived a scare to secure a 26-run victory over Hong Kong.

Batting first, the Shikhar Dhawan-led India posted a first innings score of 285/7, with the former scoring a 120-ball 127. Hong Kong, in reply, started their run chase of 286 with a 174-run partnership for the first wicket between Nizakat Khan and Anshuman Rath.

But a batting collapse after the dismissal of Nizakat saved India from the blushes of a surprise defeat. Eventually, Hong Kong finished their innings at 259/8.

Key players to watch out

Virat Kohli, one of the players under the scanner going into the Asia Cup 2022, showcased a glimpse of his usual best as he scored 35 runs off 34 balls. Kohli, the first Indian and the second player overall to have played 100 matches in each of the three formats of international cricket, has registered 3,343 T20I runs at an average of 49.89 and will look to open his account against a relatively new opponent in Hong Kong.

India’s opponents - Hong Kong - will look up to Ehsan Khan to set the tone for a possible victory against India. The veteran cricketer, a spinner, has taken 39 wickets in 31 matches and will look to test the resilience of the Indian batters in the middle overs.

The India vs Hong Kong Asia Cup 2022 Group A game will start at 7:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST) on Wednesday, August 31.

Paltan, show some love for your favourite Men in Blue!