Vihari, Porel, Rinku: 13 players Indian selectors may keep an eye on at the Duleep Trophy

Sarfaraz Khan

There has been a lot of hue and cry over Sarfaraz not finding a place in the Test side for the West Indies tour. He averages nearly 80 in first-class cricket, yet hasn’t been able to break into the Indian team. While there has been no official word from the selectors yet, reports from unnamed sources have cited off-field conduct and on-field aggressive gestures, along with fitness, as the reason. For the West Zone, he will have to keep the noise aside and keep churning out the big runs to continue to stay in the reckoning.

Hanuma Vihari

Vihari was dropped from the Test side for the Bangladesh tour last year, and has been out of the team since. However, with the Indian batting being in a state of flux, he may be in with a chance for a comeback soon. While good performances need not guarantee selection for the South Zone captain, a poor performance might be catastrophic for him.

Rinku Singh

Rinku had a breakthrough season in IPL 2023 where he scored 474 runs at an average of 59.25 and a strike rate of 149.5. He also has a first-class average of 59.89 to go with a strike rate of 70.88 from 40 games. He is already in the reckoning for the shorter formats, and a consistent show for Central Zone may also see him get close to the Test side.

Prithvi Shaw

Shaw has been in and out of the national set-up. He made a comeback to the T20I squad earlier this year but did not get a game. His worst ever IPL season has perhaps pushed him down the pecking order, but as West Zone opener in the absence of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, he will have the opportunity to prove a point. If he fails to perform, however, he risks slipping further down the priority list of the selectors, especially given his not-so-perfect off-field image.

Cheteshwar Pujara

Pujara has been recently dropped from the Test side with youngsters Jaiswal and Gaikwad being given a go This may be the beginning of the end of Pujara’s international career, but the fact that West Zone has picked him indicates that the Indian selectors and team management have not given up on him yet. He may be needed again in the national side if the youngsters do not live up to expectations.

Upendra Yadav

Railways wicketkeeper Yadav has a first-class average of 45.02, and is the next wicketkeeper in line after KS Bharat for the Test team. Neither exceptional nor poor at the highest level, Bharat retained his spot in the squad for the West Indies tour, and another couple of games without any big scores may make the selectors look towards Yadav, the Central Zone vice-captain for the season.

Tilak Varma

Tilak, part of the South Zone squad, has played just seven first-class matches and averages 40.90, but has had two outstanding seasons for the Mumbai Indians in the IPL. Only 20, he is on the selectors’ radar. With the selections of Jaiswal and Gaikwad, the Indian selectors hinted at a transition towards the youth. A good show in the Duleep Trophy, followed by a consistent season, may open a lot of doors for Tilak.

Atit Sheth

Sheth made his India A debut last year against Bangladesh A. A bowling all-rounder from Baroda who averages 25.14 with the ball and 34.23 with the bat at first-class level, he will play for West Zone side, will be looked at with interest from the selectors, given his multidimensional skills.

Ishan Porel

Porel has been a part of India A regularly in the last three years, showing that the selectors have been interested in him. He took 27 first-class wickets in the last season, his best so far. At 24, he is one of the most promising young fast bowlers in India in first-class cricket. He will lead the East Zone attack in the absence 0f Mukesh Kumar, who has been selected for the Test tour of the West Indies.

Arzan Nagwaswalla

Gujarat left-arm seamer Nagwaswalla has generated a lot of interest in the last few years. He has been part of Indian sides as a net bowler and has a good first-class record: 87 wickets from 41 innings at an average of 24.71. With a tour of South Africa coming up later this year, he will have a good opportunity to impress the selectors with his performance for the West Zone and possibly stake a claim, if not in the main squad, then at least as a reserve player.

Harshit Rana

Only 21, Rana impressed with his seam bowling in IPL 2023 for Kolkata Knight Riders. From five first-class matches, he has picked 21 wickets at an average of 26.66. His extra yard of pace and his young age will keep the selectors interested in him when he takes field for North Zone.

Avesh Khan

Avesh has played 20 times for India across ODIs and T20Is, but never since October 2022. With 144 wickets from 63 innings at 22.49, he has a decent chance of making his Test debut. His hit-the-deck skills will be handy for the Indian Test side, especially on the upcoming South Africa tour.

Abhimanyu Easwaran

Easwaran was called into the Test squad for the Bangladesh series after Rohit Sharma was sidelined due to injury, has been ignored since then, as Gaikwad and Jaiswal pipped him to the Test squad for the West Indies tour, much to the angst of fans and pundits. While he seems to have fallen behind the duo in the race for a Test cap, he remains arguably the best uncapped Indian first-class opener. At 27 years, he also has time on his side. He will have to continue his good work, starting with leading the East Zone side.