Nidahas Trophy: Kohli, Dhoni rested for the tour, Rohit Sharma to take charge

MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli will be rested for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour
MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli will be rested for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour

XtraTime Web Desk: India skipper Virat Kohli and former captain MS Dhoni have been rested for the T20I tri-series in Sri Lanka as the selectors have picked a 15 men squad today. In the absence of Kohli, star opener Rohit Sharma will lead the side.

Virat scored 558 runs in ODI series against South Africa but ruled out of the last T20I due to his stiff back and Dhoni is learned to have asked for the rest. Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar also been rested for the series and youngster Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur got chance to play in this series. Dinesh Karthik and Rishabh Pant will be the wicket-keepers. Deepak Hooda and Vijay Shankar will also be a part of the squad .

BCCI reported Chairman of Selectors, MSK Prasad saying,  “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. Mr MS Dhoni was not available for selection as he had requested for rest.”

The teams will play two T20Is with each other to qualify for the final. This Nidahas Trophy commemorates 70 years of Sri Lanka’s independence.

Squad:

India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan (vc), 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, Rishabh Pant (wk)