Shreyas Iyer’s quest for redemption in red-ball cricket begins on Thursday as he leads India D against Ruturaj Gaikwad’s India C in the first round of the Duleep Trophy. The 29-year-old, who last donned the Test whites for India in February, faced criticism for not playing for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy quarterfinal last season and was subsequently dropped from the BCCI central contract list. Despite returning for the semifinal and final, he still faces an uphill battle to earn back the selectors’ trust.
Ishan Kishan, initially slated to join Iyer in this journey, has reportedly been ruled out of the opening round due to an injury sustained during the Buchi Babu tournament. Suryakumar Yadav’s hand injury, also suffered during the same tournament, has further depleted India C’s ranks, highlighting the impact of injuries on both teams.
Prasidh Krishna (India A), Mohammad Siraj (India B), and Umran Malik (India C) are other notable players sidelined due to injuries or illness. The absence of Ravindra Jadeja from India B adds another layer of intrigue to the competition, with the reasons behind his withdrawal remaining unclear.
With Suryakumar unavailable, Ruturaj Gaikwad will rely heavily on the Tamil Nadu duo of Baba Indrajith and Sai Sudharsan. The latter enters the tournament with a recent County Championship century under his belt. Rajat Patidar, despite his maiden international assignment against England failing to showcase his First-Class prowess, will look to make amends. However, his struggles against spin, particularly left-arm orthodox, could make Axar Patel a potent weapon against him. Axar’s all-round abilities will also provide a crucial boost to India D’s batting lineup, which has been weakened by Kishan’s absence.
Devdutt Padikkal, Yash Dubey, and Atharva Taide are likely to open the innings for India D, with Iyer and either K.S. Bharat or Ricky Bhui anchoring the middle order. While India D might lack depth in the batting department, they possess a formidable pace attack led by Arshdeep Singh, Tushar Deshpande, and Harshit Rana. The venue, Rural Trust Development Stadium in Anantapur, has historically favored pacers, with spin bowlers taking significantly fewer wickets.
However, the venue has only hosted one match in the past 11 years, making it difficult to gauge how the pitch will behave. India C’s pace attack, boasting the experience of Gaurav Yadav (second-highest wicket-taker in the last Ranji Trophy) and Sandeep Warrier, provides a stern challenge. Vyshak Vijayakumar, with his 20 First-Class matches under his belt, is likely to complete the seam attack. Mayank Markande and Manav Suthar are expected to lead the spin bowling department for India C.
This encounter promises a fascinating clash of styles, with India D relying on their pace attack to exploit the venue’s history and India C countering with a more experienced bowling unit. The match offers a platform for Shreyas Iyer to showcase his red-ball credentials and stake his claim for a return to the Indian Test team. It remains to be seen who will emerge victorious in this battle of talent and determination.
