Dinesh Karthik, Washington Sundar big India gains; few positives for SL, Bangladesh
When the dates of the Nidahas Trophy 2018 tri-series between India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were announced, the reception ranged from lukewarm to indifference. The high frequency of India vs Sri Lanka matches has reached a point of monotony. With India’s big names like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah giving the tournament a miss, the inexperienced Indian cricket team did not appeal to the Sri Lankan fans. (IND v BAN HIGHLIGHTS)
However, during the 15-day tournament, Rohit Sharma’s side was strong enough to beat teams in their own conditions. The side had experience of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in addition to four-five fresh faces who had done well in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, was on the way upwards under Chandika Hathurusingha while Bangladesh were still volatile yet competitive. (IND v BAN SCORECARD)
India clinical with minor hiccups
India were jolted in the opening game when they lost to Sri Lanka by five wickets. Following the jolt and with a scrappy fielding performance against Bangladesh, questions were raised. Shikhar Dhawan set the tournament on fire with knocks of 90 and 55 but Rohit and Suresh Raina failed. With the middle order not getting exposure, India’s supposed weak link was the batting.
