The focus will be on the likes of Rinku Singh, India B teammate Musheer Khan and India C left-arm spinner Manav Suthar in Round II of the Duleep Trophy beginning in Anantapur on Thursday.
The star power in the season-opening red-ball event will be reduced significantly from this round as the Team India squad members are getting ready for the first Test against Bangladesh in Chennai from next Thursday.
Sarfaraz Khan is the lone India squad member who will feature in this domestic competition.
But one eagerly waits to see how KKR player Rinku, who was not picked for the first round despite having an impressive first-class record for Uttar Pradesh, fares in
this clash for India B at the Rural Development Trust Stadium B ground in Anantapur. The spirited left-hander has already proved his mettle in T20 cricket.
Talking about Musheer, his 181 in the first innings for India B against India A in Bengaluru had impressed one and all. That innings, which he played braving a very tough situation, has almost confirmed him of a place for an ‘A’ tour when it happens next.
Musheer, Sarfaraz’s brother, couldn’t open his account in the second innings of the first-round game. So on this occasion, the talented young batter needs to be extra cautious about getting a score that carries an impact for his side. This impact is what the national selectors value very much.
Sarfaraz will also be eyeing a big knock before he joins up with the India squad in Chennai.
Fresh off his seven-wicket haul in the previous game, Suthar should be going into this round with a lot more confidence and trust in his abilities. If he continues with game-turning spells in the coming days too, the left-arm spinner should be making an even louder appeal to the selectors.
Shubman Gill joining the national team has led to Mayank Agarwal captaining the India A unit against India D in the other game. Having played his last Test in March 2022, Agarwal needs a bagful of runs to get back into the national reckoning.
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh also needs to do a lot more to enhance his red-ball credentials.
