India and Bangladesh clash in the final of the 2018 Nidahas Trophy at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday.
India will take on Bangladesh in the summit clash of the Nidahas Trophy tri-nation T20 series at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Sunday.
After losing to Sri Lanka in the opener, India are favourites to lift the title as they have registered three consecutive wins, including two against Bangladesh. Bangladesh, on the other hand, reached the final with a thrilling win over the hosts. While Bangladesh have relied on their senior batsmen to make it to the finals, India have banked on youth in the absence of their key players.
Indian stand-in captain Rohit Sharma has hit form with bat while Washington Sundar has been doing damages with ball. For the Men in Green, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah have shepherded successful chases against Sri Lanka.
The culminating match of the series will be the eighth T20 face off between the two teams. The Men in Blue have emerged victorious in all the previous seven occasions. Also, India have won nine of their 11 games at the R Premadasa Stadium.
As we head into the much-anticipated final, there are a few men to watch out for. The shortest format of the game can be turned on its head by a single, brilliant performance, and there are plenty of players in each team who can steal the show on Sunday.
Here are five players to look out for
1. Rohit Sharma
The Indian captain, standing in for regular skipper Virat Kohli in this series, has suffered indifferent form for a while now. A forgettable tour of South Africa, where he had just one big innings, was followed by an equally torrid Nidahas Trophy. Until India's last match, of course. Rohit was back to his fluid best in the final league game against Bangladesh, guiding his side through to the final with a match-winning 89 off 61. This will be music to India fans' ears, as there isn't any score unachievable if the 'Hitman' gets going.
2. Shikhar Dhawan
While Rohit's runs dried up in the past couple of months, his opening partner for the Men In Blue is in the middle of a purple patch. The left-hander, along with Kohli, was India's best bat in the limted overs leg of the South Africa tour, and has carried forward his form in the Nidahas Trophy too. Dhawan's 188 in four matches in this series are testament to the kind of touch he's in. Again, an aggressive opener who can win a game for his side single-handedly.
3. Washington Sundar
Undoubtedly, India's find of the tournament. The 18-year-old has impressed one and all with his performances in high pressure situations. In every match except the first one that India lost to hosts Sri Lanka, Sundar has gone for less that six an over. The off-spinner's ability to handle the new ball and keep things tight in the Powerplay has been a major asset for Team India in the tournament. The youngster will surely be hoping to ad to his tally of seven wickets on Sunday.
4. Mushfiqur Rahim
Albeit the questionable 'Naagin Dance', Rahim has hardly put a foot wrong through the tournament. The diminutive keeper-bat is in the form of his life. His tally of 190 runs is a major part of the reason why Bangladesh have made it to the final. The right-hander made a 72 against India in one of the league matches and there's no reason why he can't play a blinder in the final.
5. Mahmudullah
Bangladesh's stand-in-skipper hasn't really set the tournament ablaze, but his sensational knock in the 'virtual semi-final' against Lanka must've surely caught Team India's attention. His 43 off 18, with a last-ball six, did well to take some of the spotlight away from the ugly scenes during that match. Bangladesh will hope the hard-hitting right-hander can repeat his heroics in the all-important clash on Sunday.
The squads of the two teams are as follows
India: Rohit Sharma (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Dinesh Karthik, Manish Pandey, Jaydev Unadkat, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vijay Shankar, Shardul Thakur, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Lokesh Rahul, Axar Patel, Deepak Hooda and Mohammed Siraj.
Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (c), Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Soumya Sarkar, Nazmul Islam, Liton Das, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Mehidy Hasan, Imrul Kayes, Ariful Haque, Nurul Hasan, Abu Hider Rony and Abu Jayed.
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 "Washinton Sundar (L) and Mahmudullah in action during the Nidahas Trophy")
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