Hello and welcome to the coverage of the Women's T20 Asia Cup match between India and Hong Kong at the Dubai International Stadium.
India will look to tighten their batting when they face Hong Kong in their second game of the tournament.
The seven-time champions made a winning start against Thailand but were left to rue a dramatic batting collapse. India were cruising at 101 for two after 10 overs and appeared set for a 200-plus total. Instead, they lost seven wickets for 29 runs to finish on 159.
The collapse did not hurt India as they beat Thailand by 94 runs, but it exposed a weakness that could prove costly against stronger opponents. The match against Hong Kong gives them a chance to fix those flaws before their Group A clash with Pakistan.
Shafali Verma was the standout batter, smashing 64, while Deepti Sharma underlined her value with three wickets without conceding a run. Her figures also took her to the top of the women's T20I wicket-takers list.
Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal, who replaced the injured Jemimah Rodrigues, will be keen to turn promising starts into substantial scores. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur, meanwhile, needs runs to answer questions over her form and place in the T20 side.
India will also want to build momentum ahead of the Asian Games in Japan. That will be especially important after their disappointing T20 World Cup campaign.
Hong Kong lost their opening match to Thailand by six runs. Chasing 121, they finished on 114 for seven. Their bowlers, however, showed plenty of fight, led by pacer Marina Lamplough, who returned impressive figures of 4/11.
Lamplough will face a major test against India's powerful top order. Experienced all-rounder Kary Chan will also be crucial. She struck a brisk 28 off 20 balls against Thailand and will be expected to steady Hong Kong's middle order.
For India, the challenge is simple: win comfortably, but use the game to sharpen their batting before the bigger tests arrive.
Squads:
India: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (Vice-Captain), Bharti Fulmali, Richa Ghosh (Wicketkeeper), Gunalan Kamalini (Wicketkeeper), Pratika Rawal, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Prema Rawat, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh Thakur, Nandani Sharma, Shree Charani, Radha Yadav.
Hong Kong: Mariko Hill, Yasmin Daswani (Wicketkeeper), Maryam Bibi (Captain), Marina Lamplough, Kary Chan, Shanzeen Shahzad, Joyleen Kaur, Shing Chan Dorothea, Alison Siu, Charlotte Chan, Ruchitha Venkatesh, Natasha Miles, Iqra Sahar, Kaur Mahekdeep, Hailey Wong.