T20I preview: Focus on India second-choice players

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Colombo, March 5: Focus will be on second choice India players when Rohit Sharma-led side takes on hosts Sri Lanka in the opening fixture of the Nidahas Trophy T20I tournament here on Tuesday (March 6).

Their aim will be to stay on the selectors' radar as India have hit a long road to the ICC World Cup 2019.

SCHEDULE

Having faced Sri Lanka in 18 international matches this season (6 Tests, 8 ODIs and 4 T20Is) on home and away basis, another face-off can only add to the players as well as viewers' fatigue due to lack of context.

Bangladesh are the third team in this series and though the sprightly bunch is known to add excitement, the series itself is not exactly an anticipated event after a rather exhausting trip to South Africa.

However, for a bunch of youngsters, who will get to wear the India blues with as many as six top players being rested, would consider this a god-sent opportunity.

Enter the Rishabh Pants, Deepak Hoodas and the Mohammed Sirajs, who otherwise would have been cooling their heels back home and waiting for their respective IPL camps to start.

Even though this is a T20 tournament, a good performance will keep the national selection committee interested for those limited batting slots in the middle-order and perhaps for the reserve pacers.

They have mauled Sri Lanka on most of the occasions and stand-in captain Rohit Sharma will have plenty of reasons to remain upbeat about taking the trophy back home.

On a personal front, Rohit will be itching to get back to form after a poor South Africa tour where he managed only a single hundred in the one-dayers.

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Suresh Raina is slowly getting back into the groove at No 3. The Lankan pitches and the pace trio of Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera and Dasun Shanaka are not expected to pose too many problems to the stylish left-hander.

KL Rahul may have to miss out if he is not allowed to open by the team management. With Raina back in the team, Rahul can only bat at No.4, where Manish Pandey has been staking claim for quite some time now.

Dinesh Karthik is expected to bat at No.5 and don the big gloves which would leave Deepak Hooda and Rishabh Pant fighting out for specialist batsman's place at No.6.

Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal are the two spin bowling options at the floodlit Premadasa, where the wicket gets slower as the night progresses.

Shardul Thakur after an impressive show in South Africa, is expected to share the new ball with Jaydev Unadkat.

Sri Lanka have recently won a tri-nation ODI tournament in Bangladesh and they will take a lot of confidence from the fact. The likes of Dinesh Chandimal, Upul Tharanga, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera are all talented but the firepower in their game has been missing for quite some time now.

However, T20 is one format where predicting a favourite has always been foolhardy.

Squads: India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan (vice-captain), 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 and Rishabh Pant (wk).

Sri Lanka: Dinesh Chandimal (Captain), Suranga Lakmal (Vice Captain), Upul Tharanga, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Kusal Janith Perera, Thisara Perera, Jeewan Mendis, Isuru Udana, Akila Dananjaya, Amila Aponso, Nuwan Pradeep, Dushmantha Chameera, Dhananjaya De Silva.

Live on: DSports/DDSports from 7 pm onwards