Valiant Hong Kong get a pat from India

dubai — India’s Asia Cup opener at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday was meant to be the ideal work out before the top draw clash against nemesis Pakistan.

It was meant to get the Men in Blue into the groove for the bigger battles that lay ahead and while the fixture did serve its purpose in the end, India were given more than just a work out.

Having managed to scratch a not so convincing 26-run win, Hong Kong deserved respect. And that was not lost on India with some members of the Indian team visiting the Hong Kong dressing room to meet the players, speak to them and pose for pictures.

It was a heartening gesture by the Indian team to meet the Associates, who usually have been looked at by most cricketing nations as poor cousins.

The popular notion over time has been that such games against smaller teams are pretty much a mismatch and are lop-sided. But Hong Kong bucked that trend and came agonisingly close to unfurling one of the greatest and biggest upsets in cricket’s history. And after the game, Indian captain Rohit Sharma, Dhawan, MS Dhoni, KL Rahul, Dinesh Karthik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Bumrah met the Hong Kong team.

They happily posed for pictures and selfies and also shared their knowledge and experiences with them. “I had been waiting for this moment for the last 10 years. It’s a dream come true moment for us,” a gushing off-spinner Ehsan Khan told bcci.tv, as he posed with Rohit and Dhoni.

Ehsan, 33, originally from Rawalpindi, made his debut in 2016 and has played 15 ODIs and four T20 Internationals so far.

Karthik was seen having a long chat with a group of Hong Kong players. Meanwhile, Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar commended their fighting spirit and wished them well for the future.

“Hong Kong fought really well in the match. We met them after the match and we shared our experience and encouraged them. We would like to wish good luck to Hong Kong for the future,” said Bhuvneshwar. Before they left the dressing room, Hong Kong wished India good luck for the clash against Pakistan and a few asked for a 200 from Rohit. Unforunately, with Pakistan opting to bat first and left to chase a target of 163, a 200 wasn’t possible.