Indian opening batsmen Rohit Sharma will lead the Indian team in the Nidahas Trophy in Sri Lanka as many top players, including captain Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, have been rested for the tri-series. Wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav has also been given time to recover from an injury.   

Shikhar Dhawan has been named as Rohit's deputy for the T20I series. As per media reports, the players and BCCI have mutually agreed to rest some players after the hectic South Africa tour. While Dinesh Karthik has been named as the main wicketkeeper in the team, Delhi's Rishabh Pant also features in the squad. The Chairman of All-India Senior Selection Committee, MSK Prasad, said: "We've kept in mind the workload and upcoming schedule while finalising 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, maximise rest and prevent injury."

"MS Dhoni was not available for selection as he had requested for rest," he added. India will be a part of the curtain raiser of the Nidahas Trophy, against Sri Lanka on March 6. The tournament is being played to celebrate the island nation's 70th year of independence.

India team: Rohit Sharma (Capt), 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.