Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni have been rested as BCCI announced 15 members Indian squad for Nihadas T20 trophy 2018, which will be played in Sri Lanka with Bangladesh being the 3rd team. The battle of the sub-continent giants will begin on 6th March. Rohit Sharma will lead the side in Virat Kohli’s absence, who is given a rest following a gruelling South African tour.
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Indian selectors also rested MS Dhoni, who earlier requested for a break. Delhi’s blasting southpaw Rishabh Pant will replace him, who had an impressive season for Delhi in Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy. He also became the second fastest centurion in T20 cricket after he scored 100 of 32 balls against Himachal Pradesh in Mushtaq Ali trophy. Dinesh Karthik retained his place in the team as a wicket-keeper.
“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,” MSK Prasad, Chairman of Selection Committee, said.
“Mr MS Dhoni was not available for selection as he had requested for rest,” he added.
Tamil Nadu’s promising all-rounder Washington Sundar has been recalled in the team after missing out in the South Africa T20 series. Baroda’s captain Deepak Hooda has been awarded a place in the team for his impressive run in Indian domestic cricket this year. Tamil Nadu’s skilful all-rounder Vijay Shankar has also been named in the team.
Hyderabad’s premier fast bowler Mohammed Siraj will also make a comeback after an ordinary T20 series against New Zealand and Sri Lanka last year.
Suresh Raina has impressed in T20 series in South Africa and has retained his place in the team. On the other hand, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Hardik Pandya have been rested, who are continuously playing for the national team. Kuldeep Yadav also misses out following injury concerns.
Indian squad for Nihadas T20 trophy
Rohit Sharma (Capt), Shikhar Dhawan (vc), KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Rishabh Pant(wk), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Vijay Shankar, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammad Siraj.
