A clutch of young prospects such as Ravichandran Smaran and Danish Malewar will be eager to enter the selectors’ thinking arc during the Duleep Trophy final between South Zone and Central Zone, starting here from Thursday.

The absence of some familiar stars, except Central skipper Rajat Patidar, owing to their India ‘A’ duty against Australia ‘A’ might have given the match a barren look. But it is equally exciting to watch some next-Gen talents trying to push their cases to gain higher acclaim after making a blazing start to their respective domestic careers during the 2024-25 season.