Rohit to lead India as Kohli, Dhoni rested for Nidahas Trophy

Mumbai: Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav were given a rest as the Indian cricket team selectors named Rohit Sharma skipper for the 2018 Nidahas Trophy on Sunday.

While Rishabh Pant made a comeback to the Indian side, Vijay Shankar too was called up to India’s 15-man squad for the tri-series, starting on March 6 in Sri Lanka.

Shikhar Dhawan was named the vice-captain of the side.

“We’ve kept in mind the workload and upcoming schedule while finalizing the team for Nidahas Trophy. The high-performance team has suggested that adequate rest should be given to our fast bowlers to help improve athletic performance, maximize rest and prevent injury,” said chairman of selectors MSK Prasad.                                                           

Talking about Dhoni not being a part of the Indian squad, Prasad said, “Mr MS Dhoni was not available for selection as he had requested for rest.”

Here's India's 15-man squad:

1) Rohit Sharma (Captain)

2) Shikhar Dhawan (vice-captain)         

3) KL Rahul

4) Suresh Raina

5) Manish Pandey

6) Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper)

7) Deepak Hooda

8) Washington Sundar

9) Yuzvendra Chahal

10) Axar Patel

11) Vijay Shankar

12) Shardul Thakur

13) Jaydev Unadkat

14) Mohammad Siraj

15) Rishabh Pant (wicketkeeper)