Central Zone have named a quietly-confident squad for this month’s Duleep Trophy, with Kuldeep Yadav set to head the spin attack after a frustrating tour of duty on England’s benches.
First, the basics. Dhruv Jurel will lead the side; Rajat Patidar is vice-captain. The tournament returns to its old zonal format and Central open against North East on 28 August at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
Now the personnel. Kuldeep, who didn’t play a Test during the Anderson-Tendulkar series, links up with Vidarbha left-armer Harsh Dubey and Rajasthan’s tall slow-left-armer Manav Suthar. “Sitting out is never easy, but you keep working,” Kuldeep said last week, still cheerful despite limited overs in the middle.
The seamers look handy too. Khaleel Ahmed is back from a shortened county stint at Essex and should share the new ball with Deepak Chahar, who has recovered from the side strain that curtailed his IPL. Chahar told team-mates at Lord’s, “I’ve been bowling flat out for a fortnight—no issues.”
Among the batters, Vidarbha’s Yash Rathod is rewarded for 960 Ranji runs last season, while Danish Malewar keeps his place after a match-winning 153 and 73 in the final. Uttar Pradesh skipper Aryan Juyal provides another top-order option and a second wicketkeeping glove if required.
Selectors have also kept one eye on the future. Off-spinner Saransh Jain, medium-pacer Aditya Thakare and young batter Sanjeet Desai all get a look-in, and quick Kuldeep Sen sits among the stand-bys.
Why does this matter? The Duleep Trophy might not dominate headlines, yet it remains a proving ground. With India’s Test calendar packed from December, fringe players know a strong fortnight here can force a door open. Former India coach WV Raman put it simply on a radio spot: “Perform well in the Duleep and the national panel notice—still true after all these years.”
Tactically, Central lean on variety. Three left-arm spinners offer different angles; Khaleel and Chahar swing it, while Patidar’s assured middle-order presence balances the line-up. If anything, depth looks thin in the express-pace bracket, reason enough for the selectors to keep Sen on call.
Of course, this is domestic cricket: pitches vary, and availability can change overnight. But on paper it is a balanced squad with a sprinkling of experience and hunger. Jurel summed it up in a brief social-media post: “Honoured to captain my zone—let’s play hard, play fair.”
Central Zone squad
Dhruv Jurel (capt, wk), Rajat Patidar, Aryan Juyal, Danish Malewar, Sanjeet Desai, Kuldeep Yadav, Aditya Thakare, Deepak Chahar, Saransh Jain, Ayush Pandey, Shubham Sharma, Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed.
Stand-bys: Madhav Kaushik, Yash Thakur, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Mahipal Lomror, Kuldeep Sen, Upendra Yadav.
The talking stops on 28 August; then it’s time, at last, for Kuldeep and company to get their whites dirty again.
