Top 5 Team India contenders to watch out for in Duleep Trophy 2024-25. KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant are among the five India contenders in upcoming Tests.
Duleep Trophy, India’s traditional red-ball tournament commenced the country’s 2024/25 domestic season with two games played at Anantapur and Bengaluru, respectively. The tournament consists of four teams (India A, India B, India C, and India D) who will be pitted against each other and play three games apiece over the next two weeks.
These four-day fixtures not only signal the start of India’s domestic season but will also pose a significant impact on its upcoming Test season. Team India is scheduled to play 10 Tests in the next four months, and five of them will be played at home against Bangladesh and New Zealand before travelling down under for a 5-match Test series against Australia.
All these teams have some of the top India Test players and a few upcoming players in their ranks. Hence, their individual Duleep Trophy performances will hold a lot of significance concerning selection for the first Test against Bangladesh starting on 19 September in Chennai.
So, here we will discuss five potential contenders for whom this Duleep Trophy will be very crucial.
Sarfaraz Khan
Being on the radar for national selection for quite some time, Sarfaraz Khan finally made his Test debut during India’s home series against England. The right-hander, who is known for his prolific scores in domestic cricket, made a decent start, amassing three fifty-plus scores in five innings.
Though boasting an impressive average of 50 through these knocks, Sarfaraz will face stiff competition to find a place in India’s packed middle order. That is why a big effort is needed from the bat of the 26-year-old to stake a claim in India’s line-up. He scored nine in the only opportunity he got to bat thus far for India B and will need a big score in the team’s second innings.
Shreyas Iyer
The batter who is likely to give Sarfaraz stiff competition for a spot in India’s Test batting line-up is Shreyas Iyer. The KKR skipper managed to play just two Tests against England before injury ruled him out of the series, allowing Sarfaraz Khan to make an appearance.
Now with Shreyas returning to action, these two Mumbai players are likely to be pitted against each other for the important No. 5 spot in the batting order, especially at home. Iyer, who is leading the India D side, didn’t trouble the scorers much with just nine runs in the first innings. However, he played more positively the second time around, scoring an eventful 44-ball 54.
If he does get selected in the squad for the second round of the Duleep Trophy, Iyer needs to eye a big knock to stake a claim.
KL Rahul
The return of Rishabh Pant and the emergence of Dhruv Jurel have all but ruled out KL Rahul’s chances of retaining his position as a keeper-batter. But his wealth of experience as a Test player can still see him play at the top-order.
However, in recent times, Rahul has struggled with form and injuries while losing his place in the T20I squad. So, it’s high time that the opener starts scoring heavy runs not only to retain his place in the Test lineup but also to get his confidence back. Rahul can start that by making a significant contribution to India A in the Duleep Trophy.
Read More: A Middle Order Dilemma: Sarfaraz Khan and Suryakumar Yadav's Quest for India's Test Squad
Rishabh Pant
The wicketkeeper batter, before his career-threatening accident, was India’s biggest match-winner in the format with the bat. Having spent close to one and a half years away from the game, Pant’s numbers post his return have been far from ideal.
He had a good IPL 2024 season, scoring 446 runs at a strike rate of 155.40, and it gave him a ticket to the ICC T20 World Cup squad. But his returns in India colours since then aren’t that great, with just 222 runs in 10 T20Is and six runs in the lone ODI game.
Hence, these Duleep Trophy fixtures are of paramount importance in the case of Rishab Pant, as they will give him much-needed game time in the longest format.
Dhruv Jurel
In the absence of Rishabh Pant, India tried different wicketkeepers like KL Rahul, KS Barath, and Dhruv Jurel. Though there were only a handful of Tests played by India during the period, Dhruv Jurel proved to be super impressive both behind the stumps as well as with the bat.
In just his second Test at Ranchi, Jurel played a match-defining knock (90) in India’s first innings that bailed the team out of trouble and gave them momentum to win the game. This propelled Jurel up the ladder in the Test team and is likely to be Pant’s understudy going forward.
However, his performances in the Duleep trophy will be scrutinised, making him one of the players to watch out for.
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