Nidahas Trophy, 2018: India's predicted XI to take on Sri Lanka

After a loss in the first match of the Nidahas Trophy, the Indian cricket team, led by Rohit Sharma, bounced back to defeat Bangladesh in their second encounter.

They will take on Sri Lanka once again on March 12 in Colombo in a bid to avenge their loss in the first T20I.

If they go on to win the match, they will more or less seal their place in the final of the tournament.

Let's take a look at India's predicted XI for their third match of the Nidahas Trophy:

Openers:

Rohit Sharma

After a forgetful series against South Africa, the stand-in captain, Rohit Sharma's poor form with the bat continued in the first two matches of the Nidahas Trophy as well.

He was also under a lot of pressure after India lost the first game to Sri Lanka, but a comfortable win against Bangladesh has released some of that pressure.

He will look to guide India to another win and take them to the final when they come up against the hosts in Colombo on March 12.

Shikhar Dhawan

The enigmatic Indian opener has been in sensational form. His 90 run knock in the first T20I went in vain, but his half-century in the second T20I propelled India to an important victory against The Tigers.

A lot of people have questioned his ability in the shortest format of the game, but Dhawan shut them up with his performances in the first two matches and will look to do the same in the next match as well.

Middle-order:

Suresh Raina

After a poor outing in the first T20I, Raina got off to a good start in the second match. However, his old foe in the form a short ball came to haunt him as he was dismissed after scoring 25.

He will look to get going in the next match against the hosts and cement his place in the side for the long run.

KL Rahul

It is unfortunate that a player of KL Rahul's calibre has not played a single game so far. However, with Rishabh Pant's failures in the first two matches, Rahul will most likely be given a chance in the middle order.

He has opened the batting on a number of occasions, but with those two slots being occupied by Rohit and Dhawan, he will have to make do with the no. 4 position.

Manish Pandey

The 28-year-old from Karnataka has been in great form since the beginning of the T20I series against South Africa.

Along with Dhawan, he guided India to victory in the match against Bangladesh and will look to do much of the same in the next T20I.

If he continues to perform well, he could be the long-term solution to India's middle order problem.

Dinesh Karthik:

Playing in place of MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik has hardly got a chance to make a mark for himself, coming into bat lower down the order in both the matches.

He has been handy behind the stumps and has guided the young bowlers well. However, he will hope to get a chance with the bat in the upcoming matches and give the selectors something to think about for the future.

Vijay Shankar

Replacing Hardik Pandya as the fast-bowling all-rounder, Vijay Shankar has been one of the best players for India so far. He was the man of the match in the previous encounter against Bangladesh with two wickets to his name.

He has troubled the opposition batsmen, bowling with decent pace, and hitting the right line and length as well.

He will hope to impress the selectors in the next few matches as well and cement his place in the T20I side.

Washington Sundar

The 18-year-old has been one of the most economical bowlers for India in the tournament so far. He also picked up a couple of wickets in the first match against Sri Lanka.

He is certainly one for the future and will hope to make a mark for himself in this tournament. He could give Kuldeep Yadav a run for his money in the shortest format of the game if he continues to perform well.

Yuzvendra Chahal

The 27-year-old wrist spinner has been one of India's best bowler in the T20 format over the past couple of years.

His ability to take wickets at regular intervals and constantly outfox the opposition batsmen make him an extremely potent bowler.

He is the most experienced bowler in India's bowling line-up in the Nidahas Trophy and will hope to continue his good run of form.

Jaydev Unadkat:

The 26-year-old pacer has become an integral part of India's T20I squad over the past few months.

He was quite expensive in the two matches played so far but has been amongst the wickets, picking up three in the previous match against Bangladesh.

He has done well in the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah and will hope to continue performing well in the next few matches.

Shardul Thakur:

The 26-year-old Mumbaikar was extremely expensive in the first match of the Nidahas Trophy, but bounced back in the match against Bangladesh giving away just 25 runs in four overs with one wicket to his name.

He performed well against South Africa as well, prior to the Nidahas Trophy. With a few more consistent performances, he could surely cement his place in the Indian T20I side for the future.