Asia Cup 2022 | Ravi Bishnoi could be a real trump card versus Hong Kong, feels Danish Kaneria

After overcoming Pakistan by five wickets on Sunday, India are now set to take on Hong Kong in Dubai in their final group stage game, winning which would guarantee a spot in the Super Fours. The Men in Blue are the clear favourites on paper and might take the chance to tinker with their squad in order to give the reserve players some time in the middle.

A player that could benefit from such a decision is the young leg-spinner Ravi Bishnoi. The 21-year-old was hugely impressive on India's tour of the Caribbean, ending up with eight wickets in just three games including a four-wicket haul in the final T20I. In the opener, India played four pure bowlers in the form of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Avesh Khan, Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal, of which the latter was the only spinner. However, the presence of Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya effectively gives them six bowling options, allowing them to experiment with their combinations. Incidentally, all 10 Pakistani wickets were picked up by pacers, as Jadeja and Chahal bore no fruit in their six overs,

Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria is of the opinion the dry pitches in the United Arab Emirates could work in favour of Ravi Bishnoi, therefore warranting him a place in the lineup against Hong Kong.  

"I feel getting Ravi Bishnoi in will make a major difference. He could be a real trump card for India. The conditions in the UAE are also going to help him. They already have three pacers in Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, and Hardik Pandya. They can get one more spinner and that would further strengthen their bowling," Danish Kaneria said was quoted saying by India Today in a video on his official Youtube channel.

Another player that would be keen to get a chance is Deepak Hooda. The top-order batter has made the headlines recently with his performances in white ball cricket but has lost out upon Virat Kohli and KL Rahul's return. However, given the latter's dismal form, there might still be a chance for Hooda to stake a claim in the lineup heading into the World T20 in October. 

"India will not want to make many changes to their playing XI as they know that they will have to play with the same lineup throughout the tournament. But they have someone like Deepak Hooda in their squad who is a future superstar. He is an exceptional player who knows how to score runs. He has been doing well consistently," Kaneria added.