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.
#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.