India and Hong Kong will meet for the first time in a T20I match later tonight at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Both nations have previously met in the ODI format, but they have never battled in a T20I against each other. India start as the favorites to win because they are former T20 World Cup winners, while Hong Kong have not achieved much success against the big teams.
Back in 2008, the Indian team took on the Men in Red during a group stage match of Asia Cup. Ahead of their first-ever T20I battle, here’s a look at India’s playing XI from their 2008 Asia Cup match versus Hong Kong.
Openers – Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag
Both Sehwag and Gambhir scored a fifty in that match. The Indian team had a great day in the middle at Karachi as they recorded a 256-run win over their opponents. Sehwag and Gambhir added 127 runs off the first wicket in just 14.3 overs.
The two former Indian openers have now retired and are working as cricket experts. Gambhir has also joined politics. Sehwag and Gambhir will return to the field in the upcoming Legends League Cricket.
Middle Order – Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa and Yusuf Pathan
Current Indian captain Rohit Sharma had a tough time in that game. He scored only 11 runs off 29 balls. Dhoni and Raina slammed a hundred each. Uthappa scored a quickfire 15, while Pathan did not get a chance to bat.
Only Rohit will play against the Men in Red tonight. Uthappa is no longer a part of the Indian squad, while the other three batters have retired.
Bowlers – Piyush Chawla, Manpreet Gony, RP Singh and Praveen Kumar
Piyush Chawla bowled a dream spell of 4/23 in that match, while the three fast bowlers managed only one wicket between themselves. The three pacers have now retired, while Chawla plays domestic cricket and also works as a commentator.
