The Duleep Trophy is scheduled to begin from September 5 and many senior cricketers and members of the national side will feature in the tournament. The selectors will keep a close eye on the tournament as they are expected to pick India’s squad for IND vs BAN Tests based on the perfomances of the stars in the initial matches of the Duleep Trophy.
From Shreyas Iyer to Ishan Kishan, there are many stars who will aim to use this tournament to find their way back into the Indian side. This tournament is crucial for India to find the right playing combination ahead of a hectic Test season.
4 Indian players who can make Test comeback after Duleep Trophy
1. Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer found himself out of the favour of selectors after he refused to play domestic cricket following the IND vs ENG series. He last featured in the 2nd Test against England following which he was left out of the side for rest of the series. His refusal to play domestic cricket despite being asked to cost him his BCCI Central Contract. Now, Iyer will aim to use the Duleep Trophy as means to find his way back to the Test side.
2. Rishabh Pant
Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant will be rearing to return to the Test side following his much-awaited comeback to cricket. The southpaw’s last Test was in December 2022 against Bangladesh, days before his horrific car crash that sidelined him for 14 months. Although he is expected to be the first-choice wicketkeeper for India in Tests, Pant will want to gt used to playing red-ball cricket once again before the inernational action begins.
3. Ishan Kishan
Ishan Kishan suffered a similar fate as that of Shreyas Iyer’s after he too refused to play domestic cricket in February. It led to his snub from the BCCI Central Contract list and has been on the sidelines ever since then. Kishan, who made himself available for the domestic tournaments in hopes of making an India comeback, faces an uphill and nearly impossible task. The southpaw has played only two Tests in his career so far, with his last Test coming against West Indies in 2023.
Latest cricket news and updates
- Jasprit Bumrah’s ‘bunny’ McSweeney faces tough battle to find spot in Australia’s XI for IND vs AUS 4th Test
- Hardik Pandya to give Vijay Hazare Trophy a skip partly but keen to feature in tourney ahead of CT 2025: Report
- BCCI offered monetary compensation for Champions Trophy row but Pakistan opted for ‘national dignity’ – Report
- KKR best batting line-up for IPL 2025: All quarters studded with stars ft. de Kock, Rahane, Iyer & Russell
- When Ashwin turned coach for support staff! Reminiscence retired spinner’s good old times in nets
4. Suryakumar Yadav
Although India’s T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav has played only one Test in his career, his impeccable first-class record warrants for his inclusion in the Indian side. A regular in the white-ball format, SKY will now aim to try and win a spot back in the Test side and what better way to prepare for it than playing the Duleep Trophy. Just to note, Surya has 5628 runs from just 82 FC games and a highest score of 200!