With eye on Bangladesh Tests, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli likely to feature in Duleep Trophy
Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel wants all the regulars available for Duleep Trophy; Jasprit Bumrah to get additional time off
India captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are expected to be included in the high-profile Duleep Trophy squads, which will be selected by the BCCI’s senior selection committee. With the Test series against Bangladesh approaching, the committee aims to have all key players participate in the Duleep Trophy, which will start in a new format on September 5.
The Indian Express reports that players such as Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav, and Kuldeep Yadav have been requested to participate in the Duleep Trophy. However, star pacer Jasprit Bumrah will not be taking part as he is undergoing an extended rest period. The selectors will also discuss Bumrah’s potential inclusion in the Test series against Bangladesh, considering India’s busy schedule of 10 Tests over the next four months, including five in Australia. With the Bangladesh series expected to feature spin-friendly pitches and Mohammed Shami nearing a return, Bumrah may be rested for this series.
The Duleep Trophy will no longer follow the zonal format. Instead, Ajit Agarkar’s selection panel will form four teams—India A, India B, India C, and India D—for the tournament.
The Duleep Trophy is set to take place in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. Given that the venue lacks air transport connections and with key players agreeing to participate, the BCCI is considering moving one round of matches to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The Duleep Trophy will run from September 5 to September 24, while the first Test between India and Bangladesh is scheduled to start in Chennai on September 19.
It is uncertain whether Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will participate in the opening match of the Duleep Trophy on September 5 or the second round starting on September 12. There are indications that the BCCI may organize a brief camp in Chennai before the Test series, and if this happens, the star players are likely to be involved in the first round of the Duleep Trophy.
A few months ago, BCCI secretary Jay Shah mentioned that all national players would be required to participate in domestic cricket, except for top players like Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah. Meanwhile, players such as Suryakumar Yadav and Sarfaraz Khan will be participating in the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament, which will be held in Tamil Nadu starting August 15.
The selection committee is expected to include Ishan Kishan in the Duleep Trophy squad. It is reported that the committee wants Kishan to return to red-ball cricket to regain his place in the Indian team. Both Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were removed from the BCCI’s annual contract list after they failed to participate in the Ranji Trophy despite being asked by the committee to do so last season. Iyer, who played in two Ranji Trophy matches, was dropped from the contract list, while Kishan, who ignored the BCCI’s warnings and trained independently in Vadodara, was also excluded. Iyer has since returned to the national side during the recent ODIs in Sri Lanka, and Kishan now has another chance to make a comeback.
