Asia Cup: We are not taking Hong Kong lightly, says Jadeja

Having survived a scare the last time they played them, India will not be taking Hong Kong lightly when they meet them in their second Group A fixture of the DP World Asia Cup on Wednesday night.

The two sides at met in the Asia Cup in 2018, when the tournament was played in the 50-over format and Hong Kong came agonisingly close to upsetting the heavyweights.

India had racked up 285 for seven on the back of a swashbuckling 127 from opener Shikhar Dhawan and sublime 60 by Ambati Rayudu.

But Hong Kong made a fist of it through Nizakat Khan and then captain Anshuman Rath, who scored 92 and 73 respectively. In the process, the pair put on a 174-run partnership for the opening wicket.

But the Indian bowlers managed to pull things back in the nick of time for a 26-run win.

And Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja said that they had learnt their lessons from that game.

"We are going to play against Hong Kong with a positive mind set and we will not take them lightly,” Jadeja said at the ICC Academy, where India had an optional training session on Tuesday.

"On a given day, anything can happen in T20Is. We will give our best and play positively," he added.

Meanwhile, Jadeja revealed that he was mentally prepared to go up the order against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday.

Sent in at No.4 to give them a right-left combination, the southpaw scored a 29-ball 35 with the help of two boundaries and an equal number of sixes. He was also involved in a 52-run stand for the fifth wicket with fellow all-rounder Hardik Pandya, who smashed the winning six.

"Of course (I knew it coming)... I knew such a situation would come after seeing their playing XI. I was mentally ready. Luckily, I scored those crucial runs for the team," Jadeja said.

"I was the only lefty (left-hander) in the top-seven.Sometimes when left-arm spinners and leg-spinners are bowling, it's easy for a left hander to take chances.

"I just play according to the situation whenever I go out there. In T20, you don't have much time to think, you just go out there and express yourself. I just have to score runs while batting and give breakthroughs when it's needed,” he added.

Jadeja said being promoted up the order depends on the situation they are in, at a given time.

"It depends on the situation and the opponent's bowlers." said Jadeja.