Nidahas Trophy: Sri Lanka get Rohit, Raina early

Indian Skipper Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina on Tuesday were dismissed cheaply by the Sri Lankan bowlers in the T20 tri-series opener. 

While Rohit went back top pavilion without opening his scorecard, Raina too was dismissed at 1.   

Sri Lanka on Tuesday won the toss and asked India to bat first in the tri-series opener at R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal won the toss and elected to bowl first.  

Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma-led team entered the tournament with the favourites tag, but they will be put to test by the hosts and Bangladesh as the Men in Blue will be without the likes of Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

However, captain Rohit Sharma played down the perception, saying anything can happen in the fickle T20 format.

"Not worried about losing the toss. Looks a good pitch, we need to come out and play good cricket for 40 overs. I want to start the series on a fresh note. It's a perfect opportunity for the youngsters to showcase their skills. They have done well in the domestic tournaments."

Other big names such as Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya and Kuldeep Yadav have all been rested.

The visitors clinched the ODI and the T20 series in the recently-concluded tour of South Africa, but beating Sri Lanka again in their own den won’t be an easy ride. 

Talking about the strategy Sri Lankan skipper will adopt, he said
"We are bowling first. Looks a good pitch. We need to restrict them and get the total in the second half. We are playing seven batters and four bowlers."

The Nidahas trophy, which will go on till March 18th is being played to celebrate Sri Lanka's 70th year of independence.