Nidahas Trophy 2018: 5 players who can seal a spot in the Indian side

Nidahas Trophy got underway on 6th March 2018. Indian Selectors decided to rest some of the key Indian players like skipper Virat Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, fast bowling duo of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Indian cricket’s latest spin sensation Kuldeep Yadav and all-rounder Hardik Pandya. These changes have opened the gateway of opportunities for those rising stars of Indian cricket who have been at the fringes of selection in national team for quite some time now. Not only new talents but some experienced campaigners like will be hoping to make a comeback into the Indian team.

The Nidahas trophy which is going to be a three-way battle between India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, promises to be a thrilling affair as the young Rohit Sharma led Indian outfit will starve to prove their mettle as they walk out to play and prove their capabilities.

Here are 5 cricketers who can enter the Indian outfit as a regular member if they can perform well in the tri-series:

Note: All stats are accurate as of 6 March 2018.

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#5 Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Kartik deserves a long run in the team.

A crafty batsman and an experienced Wicketkeeper, Dinesh Kartik has always been overshadowed by the presence of MS Dhoni. The 32-year-old will be hoping to seal a spot in the limited over fixtures for team India on the back of some impressive performances in the tri-series.

Dinesh Karthik can be an ideal pick at No. 4. He can anchor the innings and also is capable of finishing the innings on a high.

The problem with the wicketkeeper-batsman has been limited number of opportunities at the top level. Once given a longer streak of games, he can definitely prove his worth and seal his spot in the limited over fixtures for India.

The Nidahas trophy is the perfect stage to give Karthik a go. The newly appointed KKR captain can double as the backup keeper as well.

# 4 Vijay Shankar

Vijay Shankar is an able all-rounder

Hardik Pandya has already witnessed numbers of highs and lows in his short international career. Although it will be too early and rude to judge Pandya on the basis of his short stay at the international stage, there is no denying the fact that Pandya is certainly not invincible.

Even though the Baroda all-rounder came up with a couple of good performances against South Africa, he looked out of shade for most of the time. Vijay Shankar is certainly one name who has been on selector's radar and can be like-for-like replacement for Hardik Pandya.

Vijay Shankar might get to play all the games for India in the tri-series and he will be looking to provide selectors with some sort of thinking work by registering good performances in the tri-series.

He has an impressive average of 49.14 in the first class format which truly defines his class as a capable batsman. Not to forget he can also chip in with a couple of handy overs with the ball, making him an integral part of the team setup.

# 3 Washington Sundar

Washington Sundar is an exciting young talent.

Washington Sundar, the youngest on the list has looked very good in the couple of opportunities which he has been provided. He has done well at the domestic level and has been a stand out performer in Tamil Nadu premier league(TNPL) as well.

He concluded the 2017 edition of TNPL with 459 runs at a mammoth average of 76.50 and at an aggressive strike rate of 154.55 in just 9 games. The young all-rounder also claimed 15 wickets at an economical 6.1 runs per over. Five of these 15 wickets came in powerplay which tells his effectiveness when the fielding restrictions are on.

With an efficient economy of 6.51 in T20s and ability to bat down the order, Sundar boasts of some good all-round talent and therefore can use this series as the platform to enter the Indian team as a regular member for the shortest format.

With age on his side, Sundar is definitely a talent to watch out for.

# 2 Deepak Hooda

Deepak Hooda can provide the late flourish in the innings

India's search for a hard-hitting lower middle order batsman can finally come to an end with Deepak Hooda. The innovative player from Baroda has been in a splendid form in the recent past across all three formats.

The all-rounder can turn the game on its head with his impressive hard hitting ability. His T20 strike rate points at an impressive 143.48. Though he is not a keen wicket-taker with the ball, he can prove handy as the sixth bowling option and can provide a couple of good overs of off-break bowling.

A couple of good performances in the tri-series would definitely bring him into selectors's radar.

# 1 Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina is a true match winner

Suresh Raina is someone who needs no introduction. Unarguably, the most successful IPL batsman of all time, Suresh Raina has found the going a bit tough in the past couple of years. After being ruled out from the Indian side, Raina did not score too many runs even in the domestic circuit.

After a couple of good performances in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 trophy, Raina finally made a comeback into the Indian team and his fans will be hoping that he can seal a spot in the Indian team based on some good performance in the tri-series.

As the Indian team have found it very tough to answer the number 4 issue, Raina can be the perfect answer for the same. The southpaw has the ability to play big knocks and has handled some pressure situations extremely patiently for the team.

Raina's knack of being able to provide vital breakthroughs with his deceptive off-breakers as well as his brilliant energy on the field will be added bonuses to the team. However, it is his bat that will have to do all the talking if he has to nail down his place in India's limited-overs setup.