The last round of the 2024 Duleep Trophy ended on Sunday in Anantapur. India A won the red-ball domestic title by defeating the team led by Ruturaj Gaikwad. Meanwhile, India D achieved a consolation victory, with Arshdeep Singh delivering his best-ever performance, taking 6 wickets for 40 runs in their 257-run win against the B team. But what did India actually gain from this tournament, which was mainly meant to identify backup players for the Indian Test team, before the Ranji Trophy begins?
Suryakumar Yadav’s Poor Performance in the Duleep Trophy
Suryakumar Yadav only managed to score 21 runs in the second round of the Duleep Trophy.
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BCCI Finds a New Pace Option for the Australia Series
On Sunday, former Australian captain Ian Chappell talked about the need for a left-arm fast bowler in India’s Test team to help them keep the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Writing in his ESPNCricinfo column, Chappell mentioned that having someone like Mohammed Shami fit for the Australia series would be ideal, but a left-arm pacer would add more variety to India’s bowling attack.
In the first two rounds of the Duleep Trophy, Khaleel Ahmed stood out among the left-arm pacers. However, in the third round, Arshdeep Singh, who had taken just four wickets in the earlier games, gave his best performance yet. He picked up 9 wickets for 40 runs for India D. In the first innings, Arshdeep took down big names like Musheer Khan, Suryakumar Yadav, and Nitish Kumar Reddy with figures of 3-50, followed by his second five-wicket haul, which again included the dismissal of T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav.
If Arshdeep continues his form into the upcoming Ranji Trophy season, he could even push out Yash Dayal for a place in India’s squad for the Australia tour in December.
Suryakumar and Shreyas Iyer’s Struggles, But Samson Impresses
Both Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer had a disappointing run in the Duleep Trophy, putting their hopes of making a comeback to the Indian Test team on hold. Iyer, who was dropped from the squad during the home series against England earlier this year, managed only 154 runs in six innings, including two ducks.
Suryakumar, who has been vocal about wanting to return to the Indian Test team after his only appearance in February 2023, could not make an impact. Despite having a respectable first-class average of 43.12, he only managed scores of 5 and 16 in his single appearance in this tournament.
On the other hand, Sanju Samson, who is yet to establish himself in red-ball cricket, made a strong case by hitting a brilliant century for India D in the first innings, followed by a quick 45. If Samson can continue this form in the Ranji Trophy, he may challenge Ishan Kishan, who also scored a century in the second round of the Duleep Trophy, for a spot in India’s Test team.
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