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We won’t be experimenting too much: Dhoni

Principal Correspondent

Karachi: In the lead-up to Wednesday’s Group B match against Hong Kong, Indian skipper M.S. Dhoni said, “it is a funny game and we won’t be experimenting much.”

Dhoni’s statement hinted that complacency will not have company in the Indian ranks and it is a welcome attitude to have as the team primes itself to open its Star Cricket Asia Cup campaign on a winning note at the National Stadium.

Firm step

History would also goad the team as India won the Asia Cup last in 1995. Coming into this tournament after a 25-run loss against Pakistan in the Kitply Cup final at Dhaka on June 14, Dhoni’s men are aware that they have it in them to go all the way to the final here on July 6. But before that it helps if the first step is firm against an opposition that might feel at home with a large chunk of its players being of Pakistani origin starting with its captain Tabarak Dar.

“We are not here on holiday,” Dar had said on Sunday and it is also time to prove it.

The Indian team stumbled in the final hurdle at Dhaka after Sehwag fell to Sohail Tanvir in the second over and with the middle order stuttering with cameos, Dhoni’s belated 64 came a tad too late while chasing Pakistan’s 315. Subsequently Dhoni’s statement that he should have come ahead of Suresh Raina has led to speculation over the batting order on Monday night.

Batting order

Dhoni stressed that he would tinker with the order with player-experience and match-situation being the context for change.

Irfan Pathan will sit out and R.P. Singh is likely to step in and it remains to be seen whether India will stick with four specialist bowlers or go with the full quota of five.

“We got to take every opposition seriously and we got to try and play proper cricket. We want to make sure that we do the things that we want to do well,” said Kirsten while his Hong Kong counterpart Aftab Habib is hoping that his team will throw up a few surprises on a hard track.

For the young Indian players, perhaps it would be inspiring if they remember that two gentleman answering to the names of Kapil Dev and Sachin Tendulkar made their formative steps into greatness in Pakistan in 1978 and 1989.

The future beckons.

The teams (from):

India: M.S. Dhoni (capt.), Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Robin Uthappa, Suresh Raina, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, R.P. Singh, Ishant Sharma, Praveen Kumar, Manpreet Gony, Piyush Chawla and Pragyan Ojha. Coach: Gary Kirsten.

Hong Kong: Tabarak Dar (capt.), Afzal Haider, Ashish Gadhia, James Atkinson, Toby Brown, Hussain Butt, Irfan Ahmed, Courtney Kruger, Roy Lamsam, Munir Dar, Nadeem Ahmed, Najeeb Amar, S. Ali, Waqas Barkat and Zain Abbas. Coach: Aftab Habib.

Umpires: Tony Hill and Brian Jerling; Third umpire: Gamini Silva; Match referee: Alan Hurst.

Match starts at 3.30 p.m. IST.

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