Ashish Ranjan
Cheteshwar Pujara and Suryakumar Yadav have reportedly been named to the West Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy after being omitted from India’s Test squad for the tour of the West Indies. The Duleep Trophy will be contested from June 28 to July 16, followed by the Deodhar Trophy beginning on July 24. The West Zone will play its first Duleep Trophy match on July 5.
In India’s recent ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia at The Oval, Pujara had a forgettable performance, scoring 14 and 27 runs in the two innings. Notably, he was included in the WTC final squad due to his performance for Sussex in Division Two of the County Championship, but he failed to replicate that performance in the crucial Test.
According to the Times of India (TOI), Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad will be replaced by Pujara and Suryakumar in the West Zone squad. Jaiswal and Gaikwad have been added to India’s Test selection for the July away series against the West Indies.
“The selectors and coach (Rahul Dravid) wished to test out young players such as Jaiswal and Gaikwad, so Pujara was not chosen for this tour. “He has been informed that if he scores runs in domestic cricket, the door is not closed on him,” a source told TOI.
India will commence the WTC 2023-25 cycle against the West Indies.
In July, Rohit Sharma and company will travel to the West Indies to compete in two Tests, three ODIs, and five T20Is. The first Test will be played from July 12 to 16 at Windsor Park in Dominica, followed by the second Test from July 20 to 24 at Queen’s Park Oval in Trinidad. India and the West Indies will play their 100th Test match during the Trinidad Test.
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India’s first assignment for the World Test Championship Cycle 2023-25 will be a two-match Test series against the West Indies. Ajinkya Rahane has been reappointed as the vice-captain of the Test squad, whereas Pujara, senior pacers Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami (reportedly excused), who participated in the WTC final, have not been included.
