The Duleep Trophy, a zonal red-ball competition in the Indian domestic cricket calendar, starts on Wednesday in Bengaluru. Although the tournament has been criticised for its relevance, it offers players a chance to make a statement and prove their worth to selectors, particularly those who were ignored or dropped for the tour of the West Indies. The six zonal teams will focus on individual performances, with the potential rewards being significant, especially as the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle has just begun. The selectors will be looking for the next line of players, not only for the senior team but also for the ‘A’ squads.
The spotlight will be on several batters, including Cheteshwar Pujara, who was recently excluded from the Indian team. Pujara will lead the West Zone, a batting-heavy unit with four openers, including the Mumbai trio, Sarfaraz Khan, Suryakumar Yadav, and Prithvi Shaw. South Zone captain Hanuma Vihari will be looking to prove his credentials, while last season’s Ranji Trophy top-scorer, Mayank Agarwal, has the chance to remind the selectors of his abilities.
East Zone skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran, an accomplished domestic cricketer, is hoping to impress the selectors enough to earn his Test cap. Spinning all-rounder Washington Sundar returns to the game after a 28-month hiatus, while left-arm tweaker Sai Kishore, among the stars of the 2022-23 Duleep Trophy, is among the players to watch. Among pacers, the East Zone’s Ishan Porel and Akash Deep, together with Avesh Khan of Central Zone, will be the rising stars.
North-East Zone, a team with a significant reliance on local talent, may find it difficult to match other teams’ experience and skill level. Nevertheless, Coach Sonam Bhutia remains optimistic about his team’s performance, stating that it’s an opportunity to punch above their weight when they face North Zone in the quarterfinals. East will play Central in Alur in the second quarterfinal, with the winner facing defending champions West Zone in the semifinals. South Zone, last year’s runners-up, will take on the winners of the match between North and North-East in the other semifinal.
The Duleep Trophy might appear as an obligation tournament, but it provides a golden opportunity for players to showcase their talents and impress the selectors. With a new WTC cycle underway, the stakes are higher than ever, and it is an exciting time for Indian cricket fans.
