Duleep Trophy 2024: Kohli-Rohit absent; Gill, Pant, Rahul, and Jadeja take the spotlight

Shubman Gill hits a maximum while Yashasvi Jaiswal looks on (Pic: AFP)

Senior players, including captain Rohit Sharma, top batsman Virat Kohli, pace leader Jasprit Bumrah, and premier spinner R. Ashwin, have been granted exemptions as the national selectors strike a balance between domestic form and emerging talent in the selection of squads for the Duleep Trophy, starting September 5 in Bengaluru.

The tournament will feature notable international stars such as Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, top all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, and pacer Mohammed Siraj. T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav, who appeared in one Test against Australia in 2023, has also been included. Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, a member of India's T20 World Cup-winning team, will make his return to red-ball cricket following a serious car accident in 2022.

Additionally, left-handed wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan, previously omitted from the BCCI's central contracts list after prioritizing the IPL over the Ranji Trophy last season, is back in action. Sarfaraz Khan and Dhruv Jurel, who played crucial roles in India's recent home series win against England, are also part of the squads, along with keepers Aryan Juyal and Abhishek Porel.

Due to the scheduling of only one match per player, Kohli, Rohit, Bumrah, and Ashwin have been exempted, as previously reported by PTI on July 16. Suryakumar Yadav will captain Team C, which also includes promising young pacers Anshul Khamboj and Himanshu Chauhan. Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja will represent Team B, joined by Pant, Jaiswal, and Washington Sundar. Shubman Gill will lead Team A, which features Kuldeep, KL Rahul, Shivam Dube, and Riyan Parag, among others.

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Team D, captained by Shreyas Iyer, includes Akash Sengupta from Assam, alongside Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel, and Arshdeep Singh. Pace sensation Mayank Yadav, recovering from a lower abdominal injury, will miss the tournament, and Nitish Kumar Reddy's participation remains contingent on 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 home Test series will be replaced in the Duleep Trophy.

Originally scheduled to begin with two first-round matches in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, the tournament will now feature one game at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru to alleviate logistical challenges.

Teams in action

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.

(With agency inputs)