Colombo/Bhubaneswar: Team India under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma is all set to lock horns against its neighbors Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the Nidahas Trophy which is all set to begin from today in at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
This tri-nation T20I series is going to be played to celebrate Sri Lanka's 70th year of Independence. The hosts Sri Lanka will be led by Dinesh Chandimal while in the absence of Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah will be leading the Bangladeshis.
India will take on the hosts in the opening game of the series this evening in Colombo and the game is scheduled to begin at 19:00 IST.
Fresh from a successful South Africa-tour, India is going with a very young side in this tri-series. The BCCI selectors have rested regular skipper Virat Kohli along with experienced Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the series. Apart from that, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav are also not a part of the Indian squad.
With skipper Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan in the top-order along with Lokesh Rahul, Manish Pandey, Suresh Raina and wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik, India's batting line-up looks settled. Whereas bowling still remains an area of concern. Jaydev Unadkat after his recent T20 success will be shouldering the responsibility of fast bowling while spinners Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal are also likely to find place in the playing XI.
On the other hand, Asela Gunaratne, Shehan Madushanka and Angelo Mathews were ruled out from the Lankan squad because of injuries. Now it all depends on skipper Dinesh Chandimal, Upul Tharanga, Thisara Perera and Suranga Lakmal to get the Sri Lankan unit going in their first outing.
Starting their campaign from today, India will meet Bangladesh on March 8 and will again face Sri Lanka on March 12 and Bangladesh on March 14 in the series. The final is scheduled to be played on March 18.
All the matches of the series will be played at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo and cricket lovers in India can get the live action on D Sport which has acquired live coverage rights for a cricket series involving India for the first time while viewers can also enjoy Hindi commentary on Rishtey Cineplex and Rishtey Cineplex HD.