India pacer Akash Deep is reportedly set to miss the upcoming Duleep Trophy, starting on 28 August in Bengaluru. Mukhtar Hussain will replace him in the 15-member East Zone squad.
According to PTI, Akash Deep has withdrawn from the tournament after initially being available and selected. It remains unclear whether he was advised to withdraw on medical grounds or for other reasons, which have not been disclosed.
In the recently concluded Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Akash Deep played a leading role with the ball, helping India secure victory in the second Test at Edgbaston, where he claimed a memorable ten-wicket haul. However, the Bengal-based pacer was less impactful in the remainder of the series, taking just three wickets across four innings. He finished with 13 wickets in three Tests during the five-match series.
With the bat, he played a heroic knock of 66 after coming in as a nightwatchman, contributing to a substantial total for the visitors. Overall, Akash Deep made significant contributions in helping India level the high-octane Test series.
Mukhtar, a 26-year-old pacer from Assam, has taken 132 wickets in 40 first-class matches at an average of 28.2. The right-arm quick is one of the pace options in the Ishan Kishan-led East Zone squad, which also includes Mohammed Shami, Mukesh Kumar, and Suraj Jaiswal.
East Zone will face North Zone in the tournament opener, the first quarter-final, on 28 August.
East Zone Updated Squad:
Ishan Kishan (c) (Jharkhand), Abhimanyu Easwaran (vc) (Bengal), Sandeep Pattnaik (Odisha), Virat Singh (Jharkhand), Denish Das (Assam), Sridam Paul (Tripura), Sharandeep Singh (Jharkhand), Kumar Kushagra (Jharkhand), Riyan Parag (Assam), Utkarsh Singh (Jharkhand), Manishi (Jharkhand), Suraj Jaiswal (Bengal), Mukesh Kumar (Bengal), Mukhtar Hussain (Assam), Mohammed Shami (Bengal).
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