Nidahas Trophy, Match 1 Sri Lanka v India - India Predicted XI

The upcoming Nidahas Trophy features a few interesting changes to the India squad, especially given the fact that several players from the side have been rested given the hectic schedule of cricket as well as the upcoming IPL. As he did against Sri Lanka at home and the final T20I against South Africa, Rohit Sharma returns to captain the Indian side for all matches in the Nidahas Trophy. The mighty Indians, fresh from their win against the South Africans, will begin the tournament as favorites against Sri Lanka.

However, averse to the side he led in Cape Town. Of course, there are a few players who did play the match that ended in a narrow seven-run win for the Indians, but Rohit Sharma will be leading a relatively young and inexperienced side in the upcoming match against the Sri Lankans. Given the nature of the Colombo wicket and the assistance towards spin, the India squad is expected to field a bulk of spinners including a few part-timers as well.

A few players are also expected to make their much-anticipated debuts as well, something that they have been waiting for a long while. This also includes a few players who impressed in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. That said, we take a look at the probable XI the Indians could possibly field in the upcoming encounter against the Lankans.

Openers – Rohit Sharma (C), Shikhar Dhawan

The famed opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma return to the helm despite that grueling series against South Africa. Barring a solitary century in the fourth ODI, Rohit Sharma failed rather miserably with the bat. Despite that, he has been given yet another opportunity to right his wrongs in the upcoming series. He will be joined by a familiar partner in Shikhar Dhawan.

Dhawan has been in stupendous form, contrary to Rohit Sharma and will be hoping to continue his good form in Sri Lanka as well. Fatigue seems to be the only probable issue for the two of these players who have been playing quite some amount of cricket in recent times. KL Rahul would seem a good opening option for the Indians, but the fact of the matter remains that the 25-year old has been rather badly out of form in addition to a shoulder niggle he has been carrying for some time now.

Middle Order – Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina had a fantastic outing in South Africa, something that he will cherish for a long time. His comeback to the Indian side has been rather well-documented and his rise to bat in the number three spot in the batting order has been yet another revelation, to say the least. There are also talks about the senior batsman making his return to ODI cricket for the Indians, something he will be hoping to accomplish as well.

Manish Pandey’s impressive batting performance in the second T20I in the South Africa series makes him an automatic addition to the side. His fielding is also an added bonus for a side that has improved its fielding in recent times. Dinesh Karthik recently named the skipper of the Kolkata Knight Riders has also been in decent form and will be expected to get a game despite the fact that he may not be the one donning the gloves. Deepak Hooda may get a call-up for this debut ahead of Karthik.

Wicketkeeper – Rishabh Pant

With a handful of T20 internationals under his belt, youngster Rishabh Pant seems to be en-route to becoming a regular wicketkeeping-batsman for the Indians. His impressive glovework for Delhi in the Ranji Trophy has also received rave reviews as it would only become a matter of time for the southpaw to be an addition to the Indian side. Pant has been touted by many to replace 36-year old MS Dhoni who is seemingly entering the twilight of his career, something that the former will be looking forward to in more ways than one.

All-rounder – Vijay Shankar, Axar Patel

With Hardik Pandya playing all three formats for the Indians, the balance of the side does indeed get affected each time he needs to be rested. Of course, Pandya did not have the best of outings in the South Africa series in the colored jersey, and his place is expected to be filled in by Tamil Nadu skipper Vijay Shankar. The 26-year old is also on the lines of being groomed as an understudy to Pandya following some impressive performances in the Deodhar Trophy last year.

Axar Patel seemingly has blown off some steam in recent times with both bat and ball, but it would seem as though the southpaw is an automatic selection in the side. He still remains to be one of India’s most economical bowlers in the shortest format of the game while proving to be one of the best finishers as well.

Bowlers – Yuzvendra Chahal, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat

Yuzvendra Chahal’s selection in the side seems to be a no-brainer following some fantastic performances in South Africa. The Indians are also likely to stick with their combination of Shardul Thakur and Jaydev Unadkat. The duo was quite impressive on the tour and are expected to make it big in the Nidahas Trophy as well.

Mohammad Siraj, the Indian bowling sensation was also expected to make it into the side. However, the slowness of the surface in the R Premadasa Stadium may be a reason to exclude him from the side. The presence of Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel may well prompt the management to leave Washington Sundar out of the side as well.

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