Nidahas Trophy 2018: 5 talking points about India from the tournament
Team India were back to winning ways after the defeat in the initial game against Sri Lanka. With 3 back to back wins, India booked its place in the finals and beat Bangladesh to win the Nidahas Trophy, courtesy a match winning innings by Dinesh Karthik.
With the likes of Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav and M.S. Dhoni being rested for the series, the bench strength was tested and some of the players grabbed the opportunities with both hands, whereas a few players disappointed.
Here is a look at 5 such instances which have been the talking points for team India's performance this Nidahas Trophy:
#5 The absence of Deepak Hooda
Deepak Hooda was expected to feature in the playing 11 considering that many senior players were rested. However, the all-rounder from Baroda did not feature in a single match in the Nidahas Trophy.
Hooda had a phenomenal 2016-2017 season in domestic cricket and was picked up in the national team on the back of impressive performances. In 15 T20 matches at the domestic level, he averaged 38.38 with 1 century and 3 half centuries. In 21 List A matches during the period, he averaged 45.83 and in 24 First Class matches during the said period, the average shot up to 58.57.
Considering his consistent performances in domestic circuit and his ability to pick up wickets too with his off breaks, Team India should have tested him in sub-continent conditions. With the 2020 T20 World Cup to be played in Australia, the 22- year old Hooda would be an ideal player who could play the role of a finisher and play aggressive innings which would change the course of a T20 game in a quick span of time.