Rishabh Pant getting runs in the Duleep Trophy is good news for the Indian team. Photo: X
The first round of Duleep Trophy matches offered real excitement. In Bengaluru, India B beat India A by 76 runs, while in Anantapur, India C got the better of India D by four wickets. After a long time, a lot of India players turned up for domestic cricket, adding to the excitement. In a season where India will play 10 Tests, starting with a two-match series against Bangladesh this month, there were some positive takeaways.
Rishabh Pant
The wicketkeeper-batter is returning to the Test fold after a gap of almost two years. Pant’s last Test was against Bangladesh in December 2022. Now, he will be going to the upcoming series against Bangladesh with runs under his belt. The southpaw scored 61 off 47 balls for India B in the second innings. Not that the game was a selection trial for Pant. He walks into the Test team when he is fit. But the half-century would help the 26-year-old feel more confident, going into the first Test against Bangladesh that commences on September 19. Pant is one of the most important players in India’s Test set-up. From the national team’s perspective, eyes are firmly fixed on the five-Test series in Australia in the winter. Pant was instrumental in India clinching the series Down Under in 2020-21. The team needs him to be in top fettle this time also.
KL Rahul
Rahul picked up a quadriceps injury after the first Test against England earlier this year and missed the next four matches. He is back in the Test side and in all likelihood, he would be in the playing XI as well. From that perspective, the half-century (57 off 121 balls) that he scored for India A in the second innings, although in a losing cause, would augur well for the middle-order batter. For Rahul also, like Pant, the Duleep Trophy game was about getting into the red-ball groove. He is one of the better players of spin in the Indian team and given that the Chepauk pitch is expected to assist turn — Bangladesh have an experienced spin attack — Rahul getting some runs is good news.
Akash Deep
Deep is arguably the most improved young Indian fast bowler of late. He is slippery, and he moves the ball both ways. The 27-year-old has also added subtle variations in his bowling, a deceptive bouncer to start with. Deep gave a good account of himself on his Test debut against England in Ranchi earlier this year. In the Duleep Trophy game, he returned a match haul of nine wickets, including 5/56 in the second innings, playing for India A. No wonder that Sourav Ganguly was happy.
“Akash Deep is an outstanding young fast bowler,” the former India captain said at an event in Kolkata on Monday. “He runs in, bowls quick, and will bowl for long periods. I have seen him play for Bengal over a long period of time, taking wickets. He will be as quick as Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami, hitting high 140s.”
Shami will return to competitive cricket in the Ranji Trophy in October. When fit, he, along with Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj, forms a potent pace trio. The way Deep has been performing, he should seal the fourth seamer’s spot.
Musheer Khan
His 181 for India B in the first innings was an outstanding effort. Circa 2024 is proving to be the annus mirabilis for the 19-year-old. He scored a double hundred for Mumbai against Baroda in the Ranji Trophy quarter-final followed by a century against Vidarbha in the final. Musheer has the ability to bat long. The century in the Duleep Trophy game didn’t open the Test door for the teenager, but it will help him reach the next level. Musheer is set to be part of India A team’s tour of Australia later this year.
Axar Patel
Axar once again proved to be the crisis man with the bat, rescuing India D with an excellent 86 off 118 balls after his team had slumped to 76/8 against India C. As regards to selection in the first Test against Bangladesh, the spin-bowling all-rounder will give the team management a happy headache. It has to be between him and Kuldeep Yadav, assuming that India would go with three spinners. Kuldeep is an outright match-winner, while Axar’s inclusion will provide a better balance.
