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Duleep Trophy 2024-25: Sunil Gavaskar feels that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma should have played in the Duleep trophy ahead of the Test series against Bangladesh in September. Kohli and Rohit were amongst the notable absentees from the teams for the tournament. Sunil Gavaskar has expressed his opinion that Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma should have been included in the Duleep Trophy ahead of the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh. The absence of these star players from the tournament. which is the scheduled to begin on September 5, 2024 in Anantapur.
Andhra Pradesh and M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru has raised concerns. Alongside Kohli and Rohit, Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin were also given a rest from the competition. In his column for mid-day, Gavaskar argued that while it makes sense for Bumrah, who has been dealing with a delicate back, to rest, Kohli and Rohit, both in their 30s, would have benefited from some match practice. Gavaskar emphasized the importance of maintaining mental sharpness, specially as players age and suggested that regular competition is crucial for players in their mid-thirties to keep up their high standards.
Gavaskar write The selectors have do not picked the skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli for the Duleep Trophy. so they will most likely to go into the Bangladesh Test series without practice.” He pointed out that while Bumrah’s situation is understandable due to his injury history, the veteran batters could have gained valuable batting time in the middle. The cricket legend further explained that once a player reaches their mid-thirties in any sport, regular competition becomes essential to maintain peak performance levels. “When there’s a longish gap, the muscle memory weakens somewhat and getting back to previous high standards is not easy,” Gavaskar noted.
By missing the Duleep Trophy, Gavaskar suggests that Kohli and Rohit might enter the Bangladesh series without the necessary match practice, which could potentially impact their performance. He believes that participating in such tournaments is crucial for keeping their skills sharp and Make they’re in top form for international matches.
Duleep Trophy 2024 Squads Announced; Kohli, Rohit and Bumrah Exempted
Senior players like skipper Rohit Sharma, star batter Virat Kohli, pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah and leading spinner R Ashwin have been given exemptions as national selectors carefully balanced domestic performers with emerging talents in selecting the four squads for the Duleep Trophy. The tournament, starting on September 5 in Bengaluru, will showcase top international players such as Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj.
T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav, who played a Test against Australia in 2023, has also been included. Alongside him, confirmed spots have been secured by key players like wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant. who will be making his red-ball return after a severe car accident in 2022. Another left-handed wicketkeeper, Ishan Kishan, who was removed from BCCI’s central contracts list after prioritizing the IPL over the Ranji Trophy, is also back in action.
Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel, instrumental in India’s home series win against England, are included in the squads, as are keepers Aryan Juyal and Abhishek Porel. With India players slated to play only one match, Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah and Ashwin opted out as previously reported by PTI.
Suryakumar is part of Team C, captained by Ruturaj Gaikwad, and includes promising young pacers Anshul Khamboj and Himanshu Chauhan, both of whom impressed last season. Team B features Mohammed Siraj, Jadeja, Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Washington Sundar, while Shubman Gill will lead Team A, which includes Kuldeep Yadav, KL Rahul, Shivam Dube, and Riyan Parag. Assam’s Akash Sengupta joins Team D, led by Shreyas Iyer, with Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel and Arshdeep Singh.
Pace sensation Mayank Yadav will miss the tournament due to a lower abdominal injury, while Nitish Kumar Reddy’s participation is subject to fitness. India is set to play two Test matches against Bangladesh, starting September 19 in Chennai and September 27 in Kanpur. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah confirmed that players selected for the Bangladesh Test series will be replaced in the Duleep Trophy.
The four squads for the first round of the tournament:
Team A: Shubman Gill (C), Mayank Agarwal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, KL Rahul, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Tanush Kotian, Kuldeep Yadav, Akash Deep, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Vidwath Kaverappa, Kumar Kushagra, Shaswat Rawat.
Team B: Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant, Musheer Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy*, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohd Siraj, Yash Dayal, Mukesh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, R Sai Kishore, Mohit Awasthi, N Jagadeesan (WK).
Team C: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Abishek Porel (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, B Indrajith, Hrithik Shokeen, Manav Suthar, Umran Malik, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Anshul Khamboj, Himanshu Chauhan, Mayank Markande, Aryan Juyal (WK), Sandeep Warrier.
Team D: Shreyas lyer (C), Atharva Taide, Yash Dubey, Devdutt Padikkal, Ishan Kishan (WK), Ricky Bhui, Saransh Jain, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Aditya Thakare, Harshit Rana, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Sengupta, KS Bharat (WK), Saurabh Kumar.
Duleep Trophy 2024 full schedule
India’s domestic cricket season kicks off with the Duleep Trophy 2024 on September 5, featuring a revamped format with four teams vying for the title. Established in 1961 and named after Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji. who played for England, the Duleep Trophy is India’s premier first-class red ball tournament. The 2024 edition promises to be star-studded, with several regular Test players like KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal set to participate, making it one of the most anticipated tournaments of the season.
Duleep Trophy 2024: New Format
The Duleep Trophy was traditionally played in a zonal format, with players from across the nation divided into six zonal teams. The 2024 edition is the BCCI has a decided to discontinue the zonal format and instead of opted for a four-team format, with the teams named A, B, C and D. The tournament will be played in a round-robin format without any knockout matches, meaning the team with the most points at the end of the round-robin matches will be crowned the winners.
Duleep Trophy 2024 full schedule
For the 2024 edition of the Duleep Trophy, all four teams will play one match against each other, starting on September 15. The team with the most points will be crowned the winners at the end.
The Duleep Trophy 2024 matches will begin at 9 A.M., according to Indian Standard Time (IST).
The toss of the Duleep Trophy 2024 matches will take place at 8:30 A.M. IST, i.e., 30 minutes before the match begins
The Duleep Trophy 2024 will be live telecast on Sports 18 Networks in India.
Kohli to Pant: Indian stars likely to compete in Duleep Trophy 2024
The 2024 Duleep Trophy is set to begin on September 5 at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, showcasing top international players. Following a directive from the BCCI, many senior players are expected to take part in this year’s tournament. Reports suggest that key players such as KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ravindra Jadeja, along with other regular Test cricketers, will be included in the four teams competing for the title. This participation of marquee players is anticipated to elevate the competition, making the Duleep Trophy 2024 a highly anticipated event in India’s domestic cricket calendar.
Will Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma Participate in Duleep Trophy 2024?
According to a PTI report, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant might participate in this season’s first domestic cricket tournament. Rohit and Virat have the option to skip a Duleep Trophy. If they decide to play, it would be Rohit’s first domestic appearance since 2021 and Virat’s first since 2015. The BCCI is also considering Rishabh Pant’s participation, keeping his workload management in mind. If these senior players join, it would add significant star power to the tournament, drawing more attention to the 2024 Duleep Trophy.
BCCI’s Emphasis on Domestic Tournaments
In response to concerns raised in 2023 about international players skipping domestic tournaments, the BCCI has made it mandatory for all Indian cricketers involved in international cricket to participate in domestic events unless they are on national duty. To compliance, the BCCI has instructed regular Test players to be available for the Duleep Trophy. Confirmed participants include KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravindra Jadeja, Shubman Gill and Kuldeep Yadav, who will participate either partially or fully. Notable absentees are Jasprit Bumrah and R Ashwin, who will join the team directly before the Bangladesh series. Additionally, out-of-favour wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan is expected to feature in the tournament.
New Rules and Shift in Venue
All six matches of the 2024 Duleep Trophy were set to take place in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh. The BCCI has moved the venue for the first match to Bengaluru to give players match practice on the Chinnaswamy wicket ahead of their first Test against Bangladesh at the same venue. This change also helps the BCCI cut down on travel costs and minimize player fatigue. For the 2024 season, the traditional zonal team format has been replaced with teams labeled A, B, C and D, marking a shift in the tournament’s structure.