Nidahas Trophy: 5 Players who have a lot at stake

Nidahas Trophy is all set to commence on March 6 in which India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will contest in the T20 International tri-series. The tournament marks a special occasion for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) as it is celebrating the completion of 70 years for their independence. The tournament is expected to be closely fought with India deploying some of their promising youngsters by resting the fringe players, while the other two teams have picked their best possible squad in order to win the competition.

The series is being looked at as a low-key tournament with some of the big international stars missing out either due to injuries or being rested. Though it will provide a great opportunity to some of the players to cement their place in the side. In other words, it could be said that these cricketers featuring in the tournament would be playing for their places in the national side. A non-performance in this series would potentially end some of the careers or they will have to fight to earn their place back in the squad.

Here we bring to you 5 players who have a lot at stake in the tournament:

1. Kusal Perera (Sri Lanka)

Kusal Perera has had a rough time with injuries of late as he missed most of the second half of 2017 only to come back for the T20 Internationals against India in December. He also played only three matches in the ODI tri-series in Bangladesh before being ruled out of the tournament. The aggressive left-hander had scored 130 runs in three innings and also missed out on the T20Is against the home team. His replacement Kusal Mendis was Man of the Series in the two matches in the shortest format of the game.

Nidahas Trophy comes as a boon for Kusal Perera as he would be eyeing to cement his place as the wicket-keeper batsman in the team and obviously stay away from injuries. The preferred man for the job behind the wickets Niroshan Dickwella has been dropped for the series which means the selectors are keeping full faith on Perera to come good in the tri-series. However, if he fails to impress, the doors are likely to shut for him with the team management looking to build a strong squad for the 50-over World Cup next year.

It would be interesting to see the way he plays as Kusal is known for his fearless hitting. But the big question is can he deliver in the same manner when his place in the national side is at stake?

Watch Nidahas Trophy live streaming here

2. Rishabh Pant (India)

Rishabh Pant has come in the discussions a number of times in last year or so for a place in the Indian team with the waning abilities of MS Dhoni. he was even the part of the Men in Blue during their tour West Indies last year after Champions Trophy. But he was dropped since then which raised a lot of eyebrows. He is back in the team now with Mahi rested for the low-key series. Moreover, Pant came back in the reckoning with some sensational performances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament.

He scored 411 runs in 10 innings at a strike-rate of 195.71 in the domestic T20s with four half-centuries and a century. The left-hander also backed it up with a decent Vijay Hazare Trophy averaging 44.33 in six outings. However, it remains to be seen though if he gets an opportunity in the team with Dinesh Karthik already in the team.

There is a lot at stake for Pant in this tournament and he has to make it count in whichever matches he will feature. He is potentially being seen as the long-term replacement for MS Dhoni post 2019 World Cup and might well be in the Indian team for the 2020 World T20 in Australia. But he has to keep performing to be in the reckoning as the likes of Sanju Samson among many others are also demanding for their chances with consistent performances at the domestic level.

Watch Nidahas Trophy live streaming here

3. Suresh Raina (India)

All eyes will be on Suresh Raina during the series and his every outing will be scrutinized, be it with the bat or on the field or even with the ball. Though it is the T20I series, this is potentially the best and probably last chance for Raina to come back into the ODI setup. The equation is rather simple for him, perform in most of the matches and get back into the ODI side ahead of the World Cup in England or all door will be shut for him in case of a failure in the upcoming series.

Most importantly, Raina was backed by the skipper Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri in South Africa and he came good while batting at number 3. While he warmed up in the first couple of matches with brief cameos, he received Man of the Match award in the decider which helped India seal the series. In Nidahas Trophy, he is one of the most senior cricketers in the side and will have to take up the responsibility. A good show here will surely cement his place in the Indian team for the marquee event next year.

Watch Nidahas Trophy live streaming here

4. Taskin Ahmed (Bangladesh)

Taskin Ahmed was being looked at as a huge prospect when he made his international debut and hustled some of the best batsmen going around with his pace. But somehow has tailed away after that and finally lost his place in the side after South Africa tour last year. It was one of the worst outings for him in the rainbow nation as he could pick only 2 wickets throughout the tour across formats and leaked runs at 8.25 (ODIs) and 12.40 (T20Is) runs per over. The consistent underwhelming performances saw him axed for the home series against Sri Lanka.

However, he is once again back in the reckoning and his fiery pace is the reason for the same. Nidahas Trophy will be the one of the most important series of his career as he will be under pressure to perform with the batsmen coming at the bowlers all the time. Taskin also has to look out for his tendency to leak runs when put under pressure and needs to prove that he is a tough character. There is no doubt that he is immensely talented and has got yet another chance to claim his spot in the side.

Watch Nidahas Trophy live streaming here

5. Sabbir Rahman (Bangladesh)

Sabbir Rahman has been in the news for all the wrong reasons recently as he was banned from domestic cricket for six months by BCB for his altercation with a fan during the game. The off-field events affected his performances on the field as he couldn’t perform to his potential when Sri Lanka toured Bangladesh. He will be surely under pressure ahead of the commencement of the T20I tri-series against India and the hosts.

Sabbir bats in the middle order for Bangladesh and is looked at as the finisher who can tonk the ball in the death overs. However, he has failed to come out on top in the recent games and should do well this time around with the time running out for the flamboyant cricketer. Even Sabbir will be itching to make a mark in the tournament and step up to the task as Bangladesh look to trump their Asian neighbours. It goes without saying that yet another poor series would shut the doors of the national side for him albeit for the near future.

Watch Nidahas Trophy live streaming here