3 players who majorly disappointed in Duleep Trophy 2024 ft. Rajat Patidar
The 2024 Duleep Trophy recently culminated with India A lifting the title. The Mayank Agarwal-led side bounced back from their defeat in the opening round to register two consecutive wins to win the trophy.
The most recent edition of the tournament was a major upgrade on the previous editions in terms of quality, which was largely due to the star power, especially in the very first round. Almost all available players, barring a few seniors in the Indian circuit featured in the competition, made it a spectacle.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) directive for players to be available for domestic cricket has had a staggering effect. The high-quality bowling and batting led to some well-fought contests and brought out the best in players.
There were some memorable individual performances and several players have forced the selectors to consider their names in the mix in the near future. However, there were some candidates who failed to make the most of the opportunity and endured a forgettable campaign.
On that note, let us take a look at three players who disappointed in the Duleep Trophy 2024.
#1 Rajat Patidar
The right-handed batter was in need of a prolific tournament to be back in the middle-order mix for the Indian side. He had made his red-ball debut earlier this year during the home series against England in Virat Kohli's absence, and injuries to Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul. However, he could not make an impression.
Representing India C in the Duleep Trophy, Patidar ended up with only 146 runs in six innings at an average of 24.33. The batter recorded only seven runs in the crucial final clash against India, including a duck in the first innings.
Patidar was close to recording a fifty but failed to convert a start on three occasions. Dismissed in the 40s in the clash against India B, the right-handed batter needs to have a huge domestic season to be back on the selectors' radar.
#2 Sai Kishore
The leading wicket-taker of the Ranji Trophy 2024 and a prolific set of outings in the Buchi Babu tournament later, Sai Kishore was expected to have a dominant Duleep Trophy as well.
However, his own dodgy form, stemming from the lacklustre Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) campaign, coupled with the wickets not being as spin-friendly as before, resulted in a forgettable experience for the left-arm spinner.
Sai Kishore took only two wickets in four innings at an average of 63 for India B and was wicketless in three of those outings. Even his batting, which has improved of late, did not make up for his ordinary bowling. He chipped in with only 22 runs in three innings and was dismissed for a duck in the second innings against India A.
#3 Nitish Kumar Reddy
With the stocks of pace bowling all-rounders increasing day by day considering India's overseas schedule, Nitish Kumar Reddy had a golden opportunity to be fast-tracked into the side.
With Shardul Thakur recovering from surgery and Pandya's return to the red-ball side after five years being unclear, the youngster had a decent shot to be at least considered as an option.
After a breakthrough IPL season, the all-rounder straightaway earned a maiden national call-up but injury prevented a potential debut. Returning after injury through the Duleep Trophy, he could only contribute with 61 runs in six innings, which includes two ducks.
Even with the ball, he failed to make an impression. The right-arm pacer picked up only two wickets at an average of 94.50.