New Delhi. Veteran cricketers like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma can be seen playing in the Duleep Trophy this time. These matches of Duleep Trophy are to be held in September. The Indian cricket team does not have to play any match before 19 September. For this reason, the Board of Control for Cricket in India wants senior cricketers to also participate in domestic cricket. However, fast bowler Jaspreet Bumrah and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin have been exempted from this. Both these cricketers will not be seen in the first round of Duleep Trophy.
BCCI has decided to hold Duleep Trophy matches in Bengaluru instead of Anantapur. Whether Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma want to play in these matches or not, this decision will be left entirely to them. Two sets of matches of the first round of Duleep Trophy were to be held in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh from September 5, but now one of them will be held in M Chinnaswamy Stadium so that there is no problem of logistics. Anantapur is 230 km away from Bengaluru and is not even connected by air.
A BCCI source said, ‘This decision has been taken for the convenience of some top players so that they can get the experience of red ball cricket before the Test series against Bangladesh.’ India has to play a two-Test series against Bangladesh in September itself. The first match of the series is to be played in Chennai from September 19 and the second match is to be played in Kanpur from September 27.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli will decide themselves on playing in the Duleep Trophy. Ravindra Jadeja, Akshar Patel, KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Kuldeep Yadav are expected to play in it. Bumrah and Ashwin will join the team directly before the series against Bangladesh.
The selectors also want to see Rishabh Pant playing in the Duleep Trophy. If that happens, this will be his first first-class match after the car accident in December 2022. Mohammed Shami, who is recovering after surgery, will not play in it. (input language)
Tags: Duleep trophy, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli
FIRST PUBLISHED : August 12, 2024, 15:01 IST
