There is little doubt the Duleep Trophy has become a vagrant child whom the BCCI wants to disown
India Red's Dinesh Karthik
There is little doubt the Duleep Trophy has become a vagrant child whom the BCCI wants to disown. Somehow the once-premier tournament has been kept alive on the recommendation of former India players like Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman, who feel it is still relevant.
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Undoubtedly, the Duleep Trophy has merely become a feasibility test for day-night first class cricket in India, with the pink ball adding to the novelty. However, there's no denying that for domestic cricketers it remains a platform to showcase their wares, be it fitness, form or talent.
Among the 45 players listed to play for three teams, India Blue, Red and Green, there are barely a couple of players who would be in the spotlight and may even get an opportunity to play for Team India in the busy schedule ahead.
When India Red clash with India Green at the brand new Ekana Stadium in the opening match today, the spotlight will be on Rishabh Pant and Karun Nair.
The two are immensely talented and considered to be the future stars of Indian cricket. But with Team India doing exceedingly well, even they will realise it's difficult to make the cut despite having proved their credentials. It's especially true for Nair, who already has a triple century to his credit in Test cricket.
Pant, on the other hand, can take any bowling attack apart on his day, especially in T20 cricket. Thus, it will be a test of his temperament in the longer version of the game.
As for the other players on view, they realise that there are very limited opportunities for them to get a look-in for Team India especially as the Men in Blue have been on an impressive winning spree in recent times.
For players like Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay, Abhinav Mukund and Dinesh Karthik, an opportunity can fall in their lap only if a player or two get injured or suffer a sudden and dramatic loss of form.
In a recent statement, India coach Ravi Shastri said that he is not averse to resting a few regulars and trying out some others in order to have a pool of 18-20 in the lead-up to the 2019 World Cup in England.
This should give some hope to both the upcoming as well as discarded players to give off the best in the four-match Duleep Trophy tournament, scheduled this month in Lucknow and Kanpur.
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