New Delhi:
After sealing the deal with a convincing 2-1 victory against South Africa in the three match T20 series, India is all set to take on Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Nidahas trophy. The Board Of Control For Cricket In India (BCCI) on Sunday announced the 15-member squad for the tri-nation series in Sri Lanka.
Keeping in mind the upcoming schedule, the board has decided to rest Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni for the series. Indian opener Rohit Sharma will lead the Men in Blue in the series which will kick off from March 6.
The star batsman was the captain of the Indian team when it played ODI and T20 series against Sri Lanka in December last year. He had successfully led the team to series victory in both the formats.
Shikhar Dhawan who played some stellar knocks in the series against the proteas was appointed as the vice-captain. Dinesh Kartik will fill in the shoes of MS Dhoni who had requested for some time off.
Deepak Hooda who impressed the fans with his good performance in IPL will make his debut in international cricket with the series.
TEAM: Rohit Sharma (Capt), Shikhar Dhawan (vc), KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Vijay Shankar, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammad Siraj, Rishabh Pant (wk). pic.twitter.com/9l9sTnXOb3
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 25, 2018
Talking about the team, Mr MSK Prasad, Chairman, All-India Senior Selection Committee said, “We’ve kept in mind the workload and upcoming schedule while finalizing the team for Nidahas Trophy. The high-performance team has suggested that adequate rest should be given to our fast bowlers to help improve athletic performance, maximize rest and prevent injury’’.
The Tri Nation T20 trophy shall mark 70th independence of Sri Lanka. The much-awaited series will see the three Asian giants competing against each other in the shortest format of cricket and we just can’t wait for it.
