The Indian domestic season is set to commence with the Duleep Trophy here on Wednesday. In the opening round (quarterfinals), North Zone takes on minnows North East Zone at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, while Central Zone faces East Zone at Alur grounds.
West Zone and South Zone - finalists of the previous edition of the tournament - gained direct entry into the semifinals.
The tournament gains significance in light of the search for upcoming talent in this new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. India’s disappointing loss to Australia in the WTC final in London recently provoked skipper Rohit Sharma to suggest that some changes in the ageing Test squad might be warranted.
FOLLOW LIVE | DULEEP TROPHY 2023 QUARTERFINALS - DAY 1, CENTRAL VS EAST, NORTH VS NORTH EAST LIVE ACTION
The Duleep Trophy offers the chance for fringe players to knock down selection doors. Immediate rewards, however, are not on offer, as the squad for the West Indies tour has already been announced.
The previous edition was memorable for Yashasvi Jaiswal, whose brilliant 265 powered West Zone past South Zone in the final held at Coimbatore. The Mumbai southpaw became the joint fastest to reach 1,000 First Class runs, and has since risen great heights to earn a call-up to the Test team.
Apart from the young guns, there are several experienced names who will look to convince the selectors that they still possess the goods. West Zone’s Cheteshwar Pujara, dropped for the West Indies series, returns to domestic duties. Pujara, who has a penchant for scoring monstrous runs when set, will not go quietly.
READ | Duleep Trophy 2023: Full squads, schedule, live streaming info - all you need to know
Pujara’s teammate Suryakumar Yadav has established himself as a T20 stalwart, but is yet to gain a foothold in the longest format. A couple of quality knocks here can prove his detractors wrong.
Sarfaraz Khan, another Mumbai batter, will seek to add to his bludgeoning recent record in domestic circles. He will take strike with the belief that the India cap, elusive thus far, cannot be denied for much longer.
Prithvi Shaw, Chetan Sakarya (both West Zone), Hanuma Vihari, Mayank Agarwal, Washington Sundar (all South Zone), Abhimanyu Easwaran, Riyan Parag (both East Zone), Jayant Yadav (North Zone), Shivam Mavi, Rinku Singh and Avesh Khan (all Central Zone) are some of the other big names primed to make an impression.
All matches will be four-day affairs, save for the five-day final.
Wednesday’s matches:
1st quarterfinal: Central Zone v East Zone (Alur)
2nd quarterfinal: North Zone v North East Zone (M. Chinnaswamy Stadium)
Live Streaming Info & Telecast Details
Where can you watch Duleep Trophy 2023?
As of now, Duleep Trophy 2023 is not being shown live or live-streamed in India. You can follow all the latest updates on Sportstar’s live blogs.
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