2018 Nidahas Trophy: MSK Prasad reveals why MS Dhoni wasn't picked for T20 tri-series
Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced a surprising 15-member list of the Indian cricket team for the 2018 Nidahas Trophy Twenty20 Tri-Series, which will be played against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Big names like Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav(who missed the T20 series in South Africa) were rested for the series. Rohit Sharma was appointed as the stand-in skipper while opening partner Shikhar Dhawan was announced as his deputy.
Chairman of selectors MSK Prasad explained the real reason behind dropping key players ahead of the upcoming tour, “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.”
Former India skipper MS Dhoni, who has been a regular for the Men in Blue in the limited-overs set-up was also dropped. But Prasad cleared all airs regarding his place in the squad.
“Mr MS Dhoni was not available for selection as he had requested for rest,” he added.
The likes of Rishabh Pant, Vijay Shankar, Washington Sundar, Deepak Hooda and Mohammad Siraj are the ones who will make a return to the national squad.
India squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan (vc), KL Rahul, Suresh Raina, Manish Pandey, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Axar Patel, Vijay Shankar, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammad Siraj, Rishabh Pant (wk).
