Nidahas Trophy 2018: 3 Indian players who might be rested

Team India's 56-day tour to the Rainbow Nation is about to come to an end. The Men in Blue embarked on a long journey covering more than 2400 km on their tour. The side, led by 'Captain Fearless' Virat Kohli produced wonderful results. A defeat in the Test series did not hamper their limited-overs performance as they outshone South Africa in the one-day international series.

Kohli and his men recreated the 25-year-old history with their first series win in the Rainbow Nation. The tour will come to an end with the third and final T20I at Cape Town on 24th February. With a packed schedule, the Indian side will get only a ten-day rest before gathering back for the preparation of the Nidahas Trophy which is slated to begin on March 6.

The Nidahas Trophy is organized by the Sri Lankan Cricket Board(SLCB) to celebrate the independence of the island nation. The first ever Nidahas Trophy was played in 1998 between hosts Sri Lanka, India, and New Zealand. India defeated the hosts to capture the tournament. The previous tournament was played in the 50-over-format but the SLCB has decided to increase the entertainment quotient by converting it to a T20I tri-series.

With the Indian Premier League(IPL) coming up in April, the BCCI may decide to rest a few of their big guns who have taken immense workload in the past few months. On this note, let us take a look at three players who might be rested for the Nidahas Trophy.

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#3 Bhuvneshwar Kumar

One of India's all-format bowler, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, has given his all in the past few months. He has been one of the keys to India's success in all formats of the game. Kumar has been contributing significantly with the ball and has added new skills to his bag of tricks. The lanky pacer burst onto the international scene for his ability to swing the ball both ways and he has worked with the need of the hour.

The 28-year-old has improved his death bowling by perfecting the yorker and the knuckle ball and has worked really hard in the past few months. His workload will only increase in the IPL when he plays for the Sunrisers Hyderabad and thus, the selectors might look to provide Kumar with a bit of rest. They have alternate options like Shardul Thakur, Siddharth Kaul, Basil Thampi, and Mohammad Siraj available with them.

#2 Jasprit Bumrah

India's most effective limited overs bowler

Jasprit Bumrah put his foot in Test cricket earlier this year against South Africa. He has bowled the most number of deliveries this year after South African quick Kagiso Rabada. The duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah have created havoc in other dressing rooms with their splendid bowling. They are two of the spearheads of the Indian bowling department. In their absence, bowlers like Sidharth Kaul, Jaydev Unadkat, Basil Thampi, Mohammed Siraj, and Shardul Thakur can shoulder the responsibility.

On turning tracks in Sri Lanka the selectors might look to rest the death over specialist Bumrah. He is an integral part of the Mumbai Indians lineup and is expected to feature in all IPL games for his franchise. The selectors should look to rest the fast bowler to avoid injuries.

#1 Virat Kohli

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The Indian Captain Virat Kohli recently had a break when the men in blue faced Sri Lanka at home. 2018 is an important year for Indian Cricket with a few overseas tours lined up. Team India will face England later this year and Australia at the end of the year. India's main batsman in those alien conditions will be none other than their skipper, Virat Kohli.

The selectors should look to rest the skipper for the upcoming T20I series. He will lead the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL and will probably feature in every game that the franchise plays.

Batsmen like Mayank Agarwal and Rishabh Pant have performed brilliantly in domestic cricket and will be eager to don the blues. They should get an opportunity in this upcoming series.

Kohli's workload has been excessive, albeit he is one of the fittest Indian cricketers, but the signs of injury he showed in the first T20I were worrying for Indian fans. This tri-series may well be the perfect time to rest Kohli and test Rohit's ability as a skipper.

The selectors will have some important decisions to make as they pick their squad for the Nidahas Trophy.