East Zone has been dealt a setback ahead of their campaign as India fast bowler Akash Deep will be unavailable for selection. The pacer has been instructed to rest, albeit the specific cause of his niggle or ailment is unknown. His fitness will be evaluated at a later date before a return date is determined.
Akash Deep just joined India’s Test squad for the tour of England, where he performed with both bat and ball.
He missed the fourth Test in Manchester due to a back niggle, but he recovered for the decider at The Oval. He delivered a spectacular performance in the series, scoring his first half-century as a nightwatcher in the second innings of the fifth and final Test at the Oval. He contributed significantly to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, taking 13 wickets in three matches, including a match-winning ten-wicket haul at Egdbaston.
With Akash unavailable, Assam pacer Mukhtar Hussain has been drafted into the Abhimanyu Easwaran-led squad. The team has also lost wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who was replaced by Aashirwad Swain. Kishan continues to recover from his fitness issues and will undergo further assessment at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. In his absence, Jharkhand youngster Kumar Kushagra is expected to take over as the first-choice wicketkeeper.
Easwaran has been handed over the captaincy as East Zone prepare to open their campaign against Shubman Gill’s North Zone in the quarterfinal starting August 28. All fixtures in the competition will be staged at the CoE on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
East Zone squad for Duleep Trophy opener:
Abhimanyu Easwaran (captain), Aasirwad Swain (wk), Sandeep Patnaik, Virat Singh, Denish Das, Sridam Paul, Sharandeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Riyan Parag (vice-captain), Utkarsh Singh, Manishi, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Mukhtar Hussain and Mohammed Shami
India
