Asia Cup: India not to let their guard down

Karachi: India take on Hong Kong in their first match at the Asia Cup in Karachi on Wednesday. Even though it's not expected to be much of a fight, Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be telling his team to stay focused.

The young Indian cricket team has been on the upswing in limited-overs cricket for the last few months but for their captain; every game is a fresh start.

"You have to go out on the field and perform according to your potential. keep on performing, every game is a fresh game, a fresh start. So it is crucial to keep the momentum going throughout the tournament," Dhoni said ahead of India's opening match against Hong Kong.

Irfan Pathan will be forced to miss the game against Hong Kong due to an injury but Dhoni has plenty of options up his sleeve.

Although Hong Kong won't pose much of a challenge; the captain isn't willing to let his guard down.

"For us every international game is important whether you are playing Bangladesh or Australia or Pakistan or any other side because it goes into the record books and you want to prove. Every game is important," Dhoni added.

Hong Kong have played only two One-Day Internationals and for a bunch of amateurs to take on the might of India and Pakistan will be an impossible task. They are keen just to enjoy the experience.

"We are all very excited and we'll compete against the two major teams - India and Pakistan. We are looking forward to our first game," Aftab Habib, Hong Kong coach, said.

It is obvious that a match against Hong Kong doesn't hold any importance in terms of results. But the Indian team needs to find their own relevance in this match. This is the only game where they can experiment and try out new options.

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