Fringe Players Eye Big Performances in Duleep Trophy

Fringe players like Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube are aiming to catch the national selectors' attention as round two of the Duleep Trophy begins. With national team members released for a camp ahead of the first Test against Bangladesh, the focus shifts to less prominent players seeking to make a mark.

Fringe players like Rinku Singh and Shivam Dube, along with some seasoned names overlooked by the national selectors, will aim to attract attention as round two of the Duleep Trophy begins here on Thursday.

The star power in the season-opening red-ball event will be significantly reduced with India squad players released for a national camp ahead of the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai from September 19.

Sarfaraz Khan is the lone India squad member featuring in the domestic competition.

In the absence of national regulars, the spotlight will shift to the likes of Rinku, who was surprisingly not picked for the first round despite an impressive first-class record. The spirited southpaw has also performed well for India in T20 cricket.

Shubman Gill's joining the national team has led to Mayank Agarwal captaining the India A unit. Having last played a Test in March 2022, Agarwal needs a prolific performance to regain national interest.

Pacer Prasidh Krishna, who missed the Duleep Trophy opener due to incomplete rehab for a left quadriceps tendon, has been named in the India A squad. With the Australia tour on the horizon, his performance will be keenly watched.

In the India B squad, captain Abhimanyu Easwaran will need to lead from the front after a forgettable outing in Bengaluru last week.

Sarfaraz Khan, who made a successful Test debut against England earlier this year, was outshone by his brother Musheer in the opening game, where the latter's 181 led India B to a fine win over India A.

The elder brother aims for a big knock before joining the national team in Chennai.

Washington Sundar, also in the India B squad, remains in contention for all formats owing to his all-round abilities. Pacer Mukesh Kumar, overshadowed by Akash Deep for the first Test, has a point to prove.

India C openers Sai Sudharsan and Ruturaj Gaikwad will strive to pile on the runs, hoping to claim the reserve opener role in the India setup.

Left-arm spinner Manav Suthar aims to build on his match-winning performance against India D.

Rajat Patidar, dropped from the Indian team after a poor debut series against England, needs to demonstrate a hunger for red-ball runs.

Shreyas Iyer, captain of India D, and sidelined from the Test squad, requires a mountain of runs to return to national consideration.

The same goes for Devdutt Padikkal and Sanju Samson, a notable absentee from India D's playing eleven against India C.

Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh must do more to enhance his red-ball credentials.

Squads:

India A: Mayank Agarwal (C), Riyan Parag, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Kumar Kushagra, Shaswat Rawat, Pratham Singh, Akshay Wadkar, SK Rasheed, Shams Mulani, Aaqib Khan.

India B: Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Sarfaraz Khan, Musheer Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Mukesh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, R Sai Kishore, Mohit Awasthi, N Jagadeesan (WK), Suyash Prabhudessai, Rinku Singh, Himanshu Mantri (WK).

India C: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Abishek Porel (WK), B Indrajith, Hrithik Shokeen, Manav Suthar, Gaurav Yadav, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Anshul Khamboj, Himanshu Chauhan, Mayank Markande, Aryan Juyal (WK), Sandeep Warrier.

India D: Shreyas lyer (C), Atharva Taide, Yash Dubey, Devdutt Padikkal, Ricky Bhui, Saransh Jain, Arshdeep Singh, Aditya Thakare, Harshit Rana, Akash Sengupta, KS Bharat (WK), Saurabh Kumar, Sanju Samson (WK), Nishant Sindhu, Vidwath Kaverappa.

(With inputs from agencies.)