The Duleep Trophy 2025 is just a few days away, and the incumbent zonal runners-up, West Zone, have picked great India all-rounder Shardul Thakur to skipper the squad. However, the Thane native was never the first choice captain for the series, with zonal selectors preferring star batter Shreyas Iyer.
According to sources, Sanjay Patil, the chairman of the selection committee, offered Iyer the opportunity to head the West Zone team in the elite red-ball competition, but the ace cricketer declined. The Mumbai-born’s denial meant that West Zone called Shardul, identifying him as a possible leader, to which he eagerly agreed.
“Yes, it’s true that Iyer declined the offer from the West Zone selection committee to captain the team. Following that, committee chairman Sanjay Patil, who is also the Mumbai chief selector, approached Thakur to lead the side-an opportunity Thakur gladly accepted,” a source was quoted as saying by Mumbai Mirror newspaper.
Iyer ignored for Asia Cup
For the unversed, Shreyas Iyer was ignored by the All India Men’s Senior Selection Committee for a place in India’s squad for the upcoming Asia Cup 2025. His exclusion sent shockwaves in the Indian cricketing fraternity, as his spot looked certain following his stellar run in the Indian Premier League with Punjab Kings (PBKS), where he scored 604 runs in 17 matches, averaging over 50.
Leaving the disappointment aside, the young right-handed batter will be shifting his focus to First-Class cricket, as he would play a crucial role in West Zone’s middle-order. Their top-order has star inclusions in the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Harvik Desai, while the bulk of the middle order load will be carried by Iyer alongside Sarfaraz Khan.
West Zone squad
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harvik Desai, Aarya Desai, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sarfaraz Khan, Shreyas Iyer, Tanush Kotian, Shams Mulani, Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Arzan Nagwaswalla, Manan Hingrajia, Saurabh Nawale, Jaymeet Patel
India
