How Team India could lineup for the first game of Nidahas Trophy

As many as five new faces were named in the 15 member squad for the Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka that also includes Bangladesh.

Rohit Sharma has been named the skipper in place of Virat Kohli who has been given much deserved rest after a hectic tour of South Africa. Kohli along with MS Dhoni, Bumrah, Bhuvi, Kuldeep and Hardik Pandya are among the first team regulars who have been rested for the island tour.

New faces like Vijay Shankar and Deepak Hooda could make their debut at the international stage while youngsters such as Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar and Mohammad Siraj who have played a handful of games for the country would want to press their case for a permanent spot in the team.

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Openers

Shikhar and Rohit will continue to provide solidity at the top

Sharma and Dhawan have been the stalwarts in the limited overs' setup. The pair has provided early impetus by scoring big in the powerplay.

Now with the added responsibility of Captain and Vice-Captain respectively, both have to make sure that India are off to a flier.

Whenever the openers do well, it always helps the others to bat around them and get to a good total or chase one down.

The consistency with which these two bat is second to none and if one of them stays until the back end, the team ends up on the winning side more often than not.

Sharma's T20I record as a skipper has been flawless so far having won all the four matches he has captained in. He could also take a cue from the fact that three of those were against the hosts, Sri Lanka.

Middle Order

Suresh Raina will be the key for India with his valuable experience

In the absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli, all hopes will be harbored on the shoulders of Suresh Raina who is coming back from an impressive outing in South Africa.

Having scored vital 43 runs along with a wicket in the final T20I, Raina will go to Sri Lanka with a lot of confidence. Fondly called as Mr.IPL for his consistency in the cash-rich league, Raina has wealth of experience in T20Is after scoring nearly 1400 runs in 68 games for the country. His good form with the bat coupled with his right arm off-break should bode well for Team India.

Manish Pandey should be an ideal replacement for Kohli at No.4 as he is in good form at the moment after having a good T20 series in South Africa. Pandey scored 79* in the second T20I and looked in good touch throughout the series. He would look to push his case in the One Day setup with a superlative performance in the Tri-Series.

Dinesh Karthik will be the first choice keeper and should bat at five for the whole tournament. Let's not forget, his back-to-back boundaries were the difference in the end at Cape Town.

The selectors have done well to give a second chance to Wicket Keeping batsman Pant after ignoring him for a year. The dashing 20-year-old could provide a late flourish with his hard-hitting strokeplay.

All Rounders

Sundar could play a big part with his handy off-spin

In the absence of Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel could be India's first choice all-rounders.

Even though Shankar is in the squad, he is unlikely to be picked ahead of Sundar as the slow surface of R.Premadasa is likely to assist spin more than seam.

Sundar can be equally effective with his batting as he bats up the order for his state team in domestic cricket. Sundar shot into limelight after his impressive show in the U-19 World Cup and the IPL where he opened the bowling and took 8 wickets at 23.12.

Another IPL success story, Patel has been unlucky having played just 11 T20Is after making his debut three years ago in 2015.

With the emergence of new spin twins, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, he hardly got any opportunity to perform even though he was in good form. In fact, he was ranked as high as eighth in the ODI bowling charts not too long ago.

He is a good bowler in this format and can score some quick runs if needed.

Bowlers

Shardul Thakur has done well in the shorter formats

Shardul Thakur and Jaydev Unadkat will shoulder the responsibility of fast bowling in the absence of Bhuvenshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah.

Thakur had a good outing in the sixth ODI at the Centurion, picking up 4-52 based on which he was selected for the last two T20Is where he did a decent job.

The 26-year-old Mumbaikar has been on the selectors' radar for quite a while, having performed heavily in the domestic circuit for Mumbai.

Thakur is a hit the deck bowler, getting extra bounce and unpredictable seam movement that makes him unplayable at times.

Unadkat had a good series against Sri Lanka at home where he was named the Man of the series in what was his comeback series.

He gives India the much-needed option of a left-armer and with his improved skills, he could well be a valuable asset in limited overs cricket.

These days, no Indian team is completed without a wrist spinner and India has one of the best in Chahal. He had an unforgettable series in South Africa and he is certainly a force to reckon with in the middle overs.