Spotlight on Mahendra Singh Dhoni again as Kohli sits out Hazare

With the Australia series around the corner and the World T20 breathing down their necks, it will be a golden opportunity for the players to brush up their skills and make a lasting impression, as the Vijay Hazare Trophy knockouts get under way, here on Wednesday.

After being given a lifeline the likes of Yuvraj Singh and Ashish Nehra will look to make the most of the tournament ahead of the Australia series. Most of all, India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni will hope to strike with the willow after failing in the league stages.

With defending champions Karnataka crashing out of the tournament, the spotlight will turn to the Indian heavyweights who will square off against each other at the domestic level.

With Jharkhand facing off Delhi in the quarter-final at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Dhoni will hope to help his team seal a win. Donning the Jharkhand colours for the first time since 2007, MSD has failed to get going with the bat, except for one match where he managed to score 40-odd runs. The Varun Aaron-led young side, which had a fine run in the league stages, will look to keep up the performance for a semifinal berth. On paper, Delhi are stronger than Jharkhand.

The hopes of the Gautam Gambhir-led Delhi side will rest on the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Ishant Sharma and Unmukt Chand, with India Test skipper Virat Kohli giving it a miss. With Kohli skipping the match, the fans will be denied a mouth-watering clash between Dhoni and Kohli.