Nidahas Trophy 2018 - Best XI of the tournament

Talk about dramatic finishes, the Nidahas Trophy 2018 provided one such fantastic finish thanks to an extraordinary inning from Dinesh Karthik. It all looked good for the Bangladeshi contingent when Vijay Shankar was swinging and missing in Mustafizur’s final over, but then came Dinesh Karthik to play an absolute blinder.

This tournament played hosts to a couple of other dramatic games, which also included Bangladesh. In their first game against Sri Lanka, they managed to chase down a massive 217-run target and there was no dearth of drama in the final group game as well. Mahmudullah’s six sealed the deal for them in that game but now, it was Dinesh Karthik’s six over covers that will be remembered for eternity.

Some players like Kusal Perera and Mushfiqur Rahim showed great character with the bat in the series whilst some other youngsters like Washington Sundar made the most of the opportunity they got. With the series coming to a close, let’s take a look at the best-combined XI from all these three teams.

Openers – Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma (c)

With all the senior players getting a rest, the onus really fell on Shikhar Dhawan to deliver the goods. He did so quite brilliantly, providing India a brilliant start almost every game. He came very close to becoming the 4th Indian cricketer to score International hundreds in all formats in the game against Sri Lanka and finished the tour with 198 runs in 5 matches.

Tamim Iqbal came close to getting into this XI, but it had to be Rohit Sharma. Not just as an opener, but also as the captain who led this young brigade brilliantly. He registered two timely half-centuries, a very important one came in the final. With 173 runs in 5 games, there wouldn’t be much debates regarding Rohit’s inclusion in this list.

Middle order – Kusal Perera, Mushfiqur Rahim, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Kusal Mendis

Kusal Perera and Mushfiqur Rahim have probably been the best middle order batsmen in this series. The Sri Lankan southpaw played a match-winning innings in the first game of the tournament and scored another couple of fifties. Mushfiqur on the other hand played the innings of the tournament against Sri Lanka in that historic run chase.

Not just the final game, but Dinesh Karthik managed to pile up runs in the few opportunities he got this tournament. The keeper-batsman from Tamil Nadu played some crucial knocks and his stock has risen dramatically after the final. Kusal Mendis is another player who did a fine job, registering 2 crucial fifties and amassed 134 runs in the 4 games he played.

All-rounder – Thisara Perera

Sri Lanka’s two close defeats to Bangladesh proved very costly. Despite commencing the tournament on a high, the Lankan Lions failed miserably. But one thing is certain, Thisara Perera was brilliant with the bat and ball. He played a few blinders with the bat coming in the middle order and was a trustable source with the ball in the final few overs.

He is one of the most experienced cricketers in their set up currently and their fans would want much more than this from him. In Dinesh Chandimal’s absence, he led the side in the final game but that didn’t have a great impact. Nevertheless, he was the best all-rounder in the series.

Bowlers – Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman

Bangladeshi fast bowlers Mustafizu Rahman and Rubel Hossain did a fine job throughout the tournament. Mustafizur’s over to Vijay Shankar was a testament to the amazing talent he is. Rubel Hossain managed to trouble the batsmen with his pace, but that over to Dinesh Karthik spoiled the entire tour for him.

This list would be incomplete without the teenage sensation Washington Sundar. The 18-year-old managed to win the player of the tournament award for his relentless exhibition of masterful finger spin bowling. Yuzvendra Chahal continued his brilliant form and picked up 8 wickets in the tournament, joint-highest with Washington Sundar for this tournament.