Nidahas Trophy 2018, Match 2, India vs Bangladesh - India Predicted XI

Team India suffered an embarrassing defeat in the first match of the Nidahas Trophy. Playing against the hosts Sri Lanka, they were expected to dictate terms. Barring Shikhar Dhawan, no other Indian player looked impressive in the match. The result, as a consequence of the poor show, was not in their favor.

Now, the Indian team finds itself in a position where they have to win in their next fixture to keep their chances high in the series. The tri-series is a short one and hence, two defeats would only mean more trouble for the pre-tournament favorites. India is now set to take on Bangladesh in their next assignment.

The Bangladesh side has nothing to lose and hence, will be playing freely. On the other hand, the Men in Blue will have to play sensibly and responsibly to make things count. With this backdrop, a lot would depend on what combinations the Indian team management goes forward with for the important game.

Here is the India Predicted XI for the second game of Nidahas Trophy 2018:

Openers (Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan)

Indian skipper Rohit Sharma’s dismal run with the bat continued in the first game of the Nidahas Trophy as well. After a poor show in South Africa, Rohit was expected to hit his straps right in Sri Lanka. However, a duck in the first game has certainly not worked in his favor. He needs to lead the team from the front and keep the youngsters in the side motivated.

While Rohit is struggling with form, his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan is plundering runs at will. Dhawan’s merry run extended in the fixture against the hosts. He scored a fine 90 off just 49 deliveries. The way he has been pacing his innings and anchoring the entire team’s innings around his knock deserves to be applauded.

Middle-Order (Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant)

The Indian middle-order looks very fragile at the moment. With no Virat Kohli in the side, things suddenly have started to look grim. Comeback man Suresh Raina needs to rise to the occasion to prove his mettle with the bat. He was dismissed cheaply in the previous game.

Meanwhile, Manish Pandey has been in the Indian side for long enough to come up with consistent showings. Despite the fact that he has been scoring decently on odd occasions, the pace of his knocks are not helping the cause of the team. Manish scored 38 off 35 deliveries in the previous game.

While Manish is likely to retain his place in the side owing to his experience, Rishabh Pant gets a look in considering the future prospects. Pant is renowned hitter of the cricket ball. However, he failed to live up to the expectations in the previous game. He was promoted ahead of Dinesh Karthik but did not get a launch as the team would have desired. He will be hoping an improved show in the next game.

Wicket-keeper (Dinesh Karthik)

Veteran cricketer Dinesh Karthik is set to don the wicketkeeping gloves yet again. He had a decent outing with the gloves in the previous game. Also, with the bat, he has got only a handful of deliveries to play in his previous two outings. On both occasions, he has managed to maximise the returns for the team.

Spinners (Yuzvendra Chahal)

Yuzvendra Chahal is having a tough time with the ball in the shortest format of the game. He was taken away for a lot of runs in the T20Is against South Africa. The story did not change in the game against Sri Lanka either. He leaked 37 runs in the four overs that he bowled.

However, he did manage to take two crucial wickets in the middle overs. Chahal fits the side as the leading spinner in the squad. It is unlikely that he will be replaced by Axar Patel for the game.

All-rounder (Vijay Shankar, Washington Sundar)

In the all-rounder department, Vijay Shankar deserves to get another go. He bowled decently enough in the match against Sri Lanka. In the two overs that he bowled, he gave away just 15 runs. With the bat, he did not get a chance to show his skills.

Hence, it will be unfair is he is removed from the playing eleven without getting a fair shot. The other all-rounder in the side will be Washington Sundar. Sundar will be expected to take the new ball in the powerplay. He had a decent outing in the previous game where he had returned with figures of 2/28.

Fast bowlers (Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammad Siraj)

The primary reasons for India’s woes in the first game was the poor show of the bowlers with the new ball. Shardul Thakur was taken away for 27 runs in his very first over. Jaydev Unadkat bowled an expensive penultimate over too. Coming to the game against Bangladesh, team India is likely to spring surprise in the fast bowling department.

Pacer Jaydev Unadkat is certain to retain his place in the side owing to his experience at the level. The other pacer in the side, in all likelihood, will be Mohammad Siraj. Siraj has played for the Indian side on sporadically in the recent times. Thakur is likely to make way for Siraj in the side.

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