Probable XI as Rohit Sharma's men take on Sri Lanka 

After a successful tour of South Africa, the Indian team's next assignment will be Nidahas trophy, a tournament that will be played to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Sri Lanka's independence. The tri-series, with Bangladesh being the third team, will be played in T20 format. The Indian team will play their first match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.

After the two-month long tour of South Africa, the selectors have given a much needed break to the senior players. Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav have been given time to rejuvenate themselves for the grueling season ahead. Absence of these senior players will provide an opportunity for the fringe players to prove their mettle on the international stage. The team management will look to provide game time to all these players, an experience that will be advantageous for them in the future.

We now take a look at the probable XI that India could field in their opening game against the hosts.

Openers

Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma celebrating the hundred he scored against Sri Lanka

Rohit Sharma will look to continue his dominance against the Lankans. The Mumbaikar, who will be captaining the side in Kohli's absence, has an outstanding record against Sri Lanka. In the second match of the T20 series played against Sri Lanka, he equaled the record for the fastest T20 hundred by hitting a ton in 35 balls. This series will also be a test of his leadership skills as he has a young side to lead.

Shikhar Dhawan

Dhawan had a terrific tour of South Africa

Dhawan has disappointed a lot of people by not doing justice to his talent in T20 cricket. But he restored the faith of fans and selectors by his stellar show in South Africa. He played aggressively against the Proteas and ended as the top run-getter of the series. Dhawan scored 143 runs with an average 47.66 and a strike rate over 150. He will look to extend his good run in Sri Lanka as well.

Middle Order

Suresh Raina

Raina needs to continue his good run in order to find a place in the ODI side

The T20 series against South Africa was considered as a make-or-break series for Suresh Raina as the selectors are looking to form a strong squad for next year's World Cup. Raina did everything he possibly could. He also won the man-of-the-match award in the series decider. Apart from his batting, his off-spin bowling will also be helpful for the side on slow tracks of Sri Lanka.

Manish Pandey

Pandey looked good in his innings of 79 against South Africa

Manish Pandey did himself a huge favour by scoring 79 runs from 48 balls in the second T20 match against South Africa. He batted brilliantly with MS Dhoni, as they added 98 runs for the fifth wicket in just 56 balls, and helped India to reach a competitive score of 188 runs. Even though India lost the match, the innings will be a huge confidence booster for Pandey, going into future tournaments.

Rishabh Pant

Can he repliacte his domestic performance for India as well ?

Rishabh Pant is one of the most exciting talents in the country right now. He has played some breathtaking innings in the domestic tournaments in the recent past. His performance will be keenly observed by everyone as expectations are very high from him. But Pant should not get overwhelmed by the situation and must put up a strong show in the series in order to be considered for the ODIs as well.

Lower middle order

Dinesh Karthik

Dinesh Karthik has done well enough to keep his place in the side

It must have been a frustrating time for Dinesh Karthik as he warmed the benches for most parts of the tour and got to play only in the last T20. But he will look to put this behind him and perform well in this series, in order to put his name in contention for next year's World Cup. In the absence of MS Dhoni, this is also a good opportunity for Karthik to establish himself as a wicket-keeper in the side.

Axar Patel

Axar's career has been hampered by untimely injuries

Due to the emergence of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel has lost his place in the playing XI. Also, his current form is patchy, as he went for 16 runs in an over in the only match that he played on the tour of South Africa. However, with Kuldeep Yadav being rested, Axar has a chance to get back in the side by putting up some special performances. He might also get an opportunity to prove his worth with the bat, as he is expected to bat at number 7 throughout the series.

Washington Sundar

Sundar made his T20 debut against Sri Lanka in December

Washington Sundar will want to prolong his purple patch. After having magnificent debut IPL season, Sundar made his debut for the national side in the series against Sri Lanka played in December last year. The Tamil Nadu all-rounder has impressed everyone with his ability to bowl tightly in powerplays and will be expected to continue it. With both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh having left-handers in their top-order, Sundar will be crucial to India's chances in the series.

Bowlers

Yuzvendra Chahal

Chahal roars after taking a wicket

After setting the stage on fire in South Africa, Chahal will try to stretch his excellent run in this series. Pitches in Sri Lanka will be conducive for spin-bowling and Chahal will be a handful for the opposition batsmen. He will look to strangle the batsmen in the middle overs by not giving away free runs. Chahal will have an added responsibility of leading the bowling-attack in the absence of Bhuvneshwar and Bumrah.

Shardul Thakur

Thakur was good with the knuckle balls against South Africa

Even though Shardul Thakur was a little expensive against the Proteas, he impressed everyone with his ability to bowl knuckle balls in pressure situations. He deceived the batsmen with his variations in the death overs. If Thakur can improve his bowling in the powerplays by bowling in good areas consistently, he can be a good addition to India's already strong pace attack.

Jaydev Unadkat

Unadkat was the man-of-the-series in the T20 series against Sri Lanka played in December

The last time India played Sri Lanka in a T20 series, Jaydev Unadkat was named the man-of-the-series. Unadkat had a mix tour of South Africa. Even though he took 3 wickets in 2 match, his economy rate was on a higher side and thus he was dropped from the side for the third match. Unadkat can make amends by putting up a strong show in Sri Lanka. This series is very crucial for Unadkat, as good performances in this series will help him to cement his place in the Indian side.