Nidahas Trophy 2018, 5th T20I, Bangladesh vs India: India Predicted XI

Team India continued their merry run in the limited overs cricket with a resounding win over the hosts Sri Lanka in the fourth match of the ongoing Nidahas Trophy 2018. With the win, the Men in Blue have more or less sealed their spot for the finals of the series. Unless there are dramatic results in the remaining two fixtures, team India looks set to enter the finals.

When they played Sri Lanka in their most recent game, they certainly were under some pressure to perform. The defeat in the series opener against the very same opposition had jolted the Rohit Sharma-led side. But the team bounced back well enough and has now registered two consecutive wins. They have rightly shown that the defeat in the first game was a rare blemish.

Now, team India is set to play their final league game of the series. They will be playing against Bangladesh. The last time these two sides had met in the series, it was the Indian team that had tamed the Bangladeshi side. Coming in to the game, the side has a very good chance of trying out their bench strength. It will be interesting to see how the team management uses this opportunity.

Here is the India Predicted XI for the match:

Openers (Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma)

In the previous game against Sri Lanka, team India saw a rare failure from both their openers. On most occasions either of their two openers ends up putting on a good show, if not both. Having said that, it is almost certain that Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma will continue to open the innings for the Indian team in the next game.

Shikhar has been in the form of his life and is arguably the best performer of the side at the moment. On the other hand, Rohit is going through the worst phase of his international career. The Indian captain will be hoping to come back to form soon and entertain the audiences.

Middle-Order (KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey)

The Indian middle-order needs to step up. It is high time that they start contributing. Manish Pandey, in the lower middle-order has been contributing with crucial runs. However, his runs have not been as fluent as he renowned to get them. In the previous game, there were signs of improvement though.

Meanwhile, Suresh Raina showed a lot of promise with a couple of sixes during his quick cameo on the other night. However, the veteran superstar needs to put up a big innings to catch the attention of the ones who matter. Raina would be desperate to score big in the coming fixture.

KL Rahul was brought in to the side for the previous game at the expense of Rishabh Pant. It will only be unfair to drop him after having been given just one look in the series. He is likely to get another go in the match against Bangladesh.

Wicket-keeper (Dinesh Karthik)

Veteran cricketer Dinesh Karthik was tagged as one of the unfortunate players in the side. It had been long since he got a fair chance to show his skills with the bat. His opportunity arrived in the previous game and he grabbed it with both hands. Karthik scored an unbeaten 39 off just 25 deliveries. That certainly cements his place in the side for another game.

All-rounders (Vijay Shankar, Washington Sundar)

One of the biggest positives for the Indian team in the series thus far has been the performance of their all-rounders. Interestingly, neither of the two all-rounders in frame have got a chance to show their skills with the bat. But make no mistake, both Washington Sundar and Vijay Shankar are highly capable of scoring runs with the willow.

They are proven match winners for their domestic side Tamil Nadu. While Vijay Shankar has even captained his state side, Sundar has played as an opener for the same state team. Till now, the duo have been very impressive with their bowling.

Spinners (Axar Patel)

In the recent times, Yuzvendra Chahal has sealed his spot as the leading spinner of the team. However, he has failed to make an impact in the series thus far. Hence, team India could be tempted to rest Chahal and try out someone like Axar Patel in the role of the spinner. Patel has been warming the bench for quite long now.

Pacers (Mohammad Siraj, Shardul Thakur)

The team could potentially see a change in the pace bowling department. Shardul Thakur deserves to get another look after bagging a four wicket haul in the previous game against Sri Lanka. Albeit he has not been the most economical bowler for the side, he has proven to be a wicket taking option.

The other pacer who has featured for India in the series thus far is Jaydev Unadkat. Unadkat has been struggling to find his lengths and has been consistently expensive. Hence, the management could see this as a void to be filled by someone like Mohammad Siraj. Siraj is a talented pacer who would be willing to grab his opportunity.

For the latest cricket news, follow CricTracker.