Asia Cup 2022: "Should have rested Dinesh Karthik if they wanted to play Rishabh Pant" - Danish Kaneria on India's playing XI against Hong Kong

Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria has expressed his displeasure at Rishabh Pant coming into the playing XI in place of Hardik Pandya for India's Asia Cup 2022 match against Hong Kong on Wednesday (August 31).

He questioned the team's decision to play two keeper-batters, suggesting that if India intended to give Pant a game, they should have rested Dinesh Karthik to accommodate him.

Kaneria believes that the change was unnecessary since the middle-order batters were unlikely to get a hit against an associate team, given India's power-packed top-order. Speaking on his YouTube channel after the match, he said:

"I was unhappy with the Indian playing XI. While they did the right thing by resting Hardik Pandya, they replaced him with Rishabh Pant. Both Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik played together.

"However, they already have top-order big guns and the team management should have shown more confidence in their abilities. They should know that their top-order batters will do the job for them and others won't even get a chance to bat.

"I feel India should have rested Dinesh Karthik if they wanted to play Rishabh Pant."

The Rohit Sharma-led side rested star all-rounder Hardik Pandya for the fixture as part of his workload management. While Pant replaced him in the starting XI, the left-handed batter didn't get a chance to bat as India lost just two wickets.

Stay tuned for the latest Asia Cup 2022 live score and news updates on Sportskeeda.

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India have qualified for the Super 4 stage following their 40-run win over Hong Kong

After being asked to bat first at the Dubai International Stadium, India registered an impressive total of 192/2. Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav starred with the bat for the side, slamming unbeaten half-centuries.

Kohli showcased stunning form in the contest, remaining unbeaten on 59 off 44 balls. However, it was Suryakumar who stole the show with his late blitz. He dazzled viewers with his dynamic batting, scoring 68 runs from just 26 balls.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, and Avesh Khan bagged one wicket each to restrict Hong Kong to 152/5 in 20 overs. With their victory, India have joined Afghanistan in the Super 4 of the continental tournament.