BENGALURU: The Duleep Trophy appears to be a tournament nobody wants, an obligation thrust on players and squeezed into the domestic calendar. The relevance of the zonal red-ball competition has often been criticised, especially since IPL performances are sometimes granted long-format rewards too.
Yet, there is much to be gained for the six zonal teams from the season opener which starts on Wednesday. Over the next three weeks, the focus will be on individual performances and statements of intent — mostly from players who were either dropped or ignored for the forthcoming tour of the West Indies.
The potential rewards could be rich with a new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle just unfolding. The national selectors will be keen to identify the next line of players, not just for the senior team but also for the ‘A’ squads.
The spotlight will be on a bevy of batters led by the recently excluded Cheteshwar Pujara (West Zone), who will be keen to make a comeback. West Zone, a batting-heavy unit, has as many as four openers; among those itching to pile up the runs is the Mumbai trio of Sarfaraz Khan, Suryakumar Yadav and Prithvi Shaw.
For South Zone skipper Hanuma Vihari, the tournament is another opportunity to remind the selectors of his presence and credentials after being repeatedly overlooked. Top-order bat Mayank Agarwal, last season’s Ranji Trophy top-scorer (990 runs), also gets the chance to remind the selectors of what he can offer, especially given that he started his Test career with such a flourish in 2018-19.
East Zone skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran has a pile of runs in domestic tournaments against his name but has not impressed the selectors enough to earn a Test cap, while IPL heroes Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel (both Central Zone) and Sai Sudarshan and Tilak Verma (South) too are in the mix.
The competition also marks a comeback of sorts for spinning all-rounder Washington Sundar. The off-spinner, who picked up a hamstring injury during the IPL, hasn’t played Test cricket in over 28 months and featured in just two Ranji Trophy matches for Tamil Nadu last season.
His state-mate and left-arm tweaker Sai Kishore, TN’s leading wicket-taker in the previous season and among stars of the 2022-23 Duleep Trophy, will be among the players to watch.
Among pacers, the East Zone’s Ishan Porel and Akash Deep – both from Bengal - along with Avesh Khan (Central) will be the ones to watch.
LEARNING CURVE FOR NORTH-EAST
With the north-east states going vocal for local talent since the previous season, the number of professional players has seen a sharp decline and the bulk of the team now comprises home grown talent.
While North-East Zone will therefore find it tough to match the skill or experience of the other teams, they will look to punch above their weight when they take on North Zone in the first of two quarterfinals at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Coach Sonam Bhutia said, “We want to put up a good fight. We are not new as our boys have experience now, although we have many U-19 players in this squad. Cricket is a game of uncertainty, so you never know. I’m very optimistic about the team’s performance. Back home, the message from the administrators is clear -- this is a golden opportunity. A ticket to be in the national team reckoning, so go out and give your best.”
In the other quarterfinal, East will take on Central in Alur, with the winner facing defending champions West Zone in the semifinals. Last edition finalists South Zone will take on the winners of the contest between North and North-East, both semifinals starting on July 5.
