3 things to look forward to in Round 3 of Duleep Trophy 2024 ft. Suryakumar Yadav's return
The 2024 Duleep Trophy has been among the most memorable in recent times, thanks to the participation of several players from the main Indian Test side for the first two rounds. It led to a hard-fought first two rounds, with the first round producing two thrilling finishes.
While the results were more one-sided in Round Two, several individual performances stood out at different times in each contest. As the final round has just gotten underway, India A, B, and C are still in with a shout of clinching the Duleep Trophy title as they are on six, seven, and nine points, respectively.
With the key Indian players returning to the Test side for the start of their series against Bangladesh, the third round may open up further opportunities for those warming the benches until this point.
India have an extended Test season ahead with the five home Tests against Bangladesh and New Zealand, followed by the five-match series in Australia. And with the side in a semi-transition stage, that is likely to go into full-transition mode in the next couple of years, performances in the Duleep Trophy finale could go a long way in grabbing the selector's attention.
On that note, here are the three key things fans can look forward to in Round 3 of the 2024 Duleep Trophy.
#1 Suryakumar Yadav's return from injury
![Can Surya revive his red-ball career? [Credit: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/09/aa44b-17267301354839-1920.jpg?w=500)
India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav was drafted into the India B squad after recovering from a thumb injury that kept him out of the first two rounds of the 2024 Duleep Trophy.
The 34-year-old has not played an official red-ball game since the 2023 Duleep Trophy final over 13 months back. Suryakumar scored only 8 and 4 in the two innings following his poor Test debut for India against Australia months before, when he scored only 8.
While the swashbuckling batter has gone from strength to strength in the shortest format, his red-ball future is teetering on the edge. With India on the lookout for the next set of middle-order batters, Suryakumar must put his best foot forward and go big to remind the selectors of his long-format caliber.
He will have to wait for his turn with the ball as his side India B won the toss and elected to field against India D.
#2 Last throw of the dice for Shreyas Iyer?
![Things have rapidly gone south for Iyer in red-ball cricket [Credit: Getty]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/09/b7280-17267300561220-1920.jpg)
It is hard to imagine anyone having more on the line during the third round of the Duleep Trophy than Shreyas Iyer. In a matter of months, the 29-year-old has gone from being a part of the Indian Test XI against England to exclusion from a BCCI central contract to reeling in the pecking order among India's fringe middle-order batters in the red-ball format.
Recently, reports from a BCCI official claimed that Shreyas had no place in the current Indian Test side.
"At the moment, there's no room for Shreyas to be in the Test team. Who will he replace? Besides, his shot selection has been a concern in Duleep, especially yesterday. He was well set and then suddenly played such a shot (off left-arm spinner Shams Mulani). When you are set and then batting on a flat deck, you need to make the best use of that opportunity," said the BCCI Official to the Telegraph.
Shreyas has been in dismal form in the Duleep Trophy with only 104 runs in four innings at an average of 26. The manner of his dismissals has been even more concerning than the raw numbers.
To make matters worse, India D lost both their games with Shreyas captaining them and have no chance of winning the Duleep Trophy title.
All of which makes the ongoing clash against India B crucial for his prospects in the Test arena. To his relief, India D has gotten off to a great start at 98/0 in 20 overs, meaning Shreyas will likely come in to bat with his side in a strong position.
However, he will need to score not just some runs but a big three-figure score to have any chance of remaining in contention for an India return in the long format.
#3 Battle of the pacers with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in mind
![[Credit: Getty, _arshdeep.singh__ Instagram handle]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/09/534fe-17267300284245-1920.jpg)
Something that has gone under the radar amidst the KL Rahul-Sarfaraz Khan and Kuldeep Yadav-Axar Patel debates is the selection of left-arm pacer Yash Dayal to the Indian Test squad for the first Bangladesh Test.
The 26-year-old picked up four wickets in Round One of the ongoing Duleep Trophy and was instantly selected to the Indian squad despite boasting an experience of only 24 first-class matches.
It was a clear indication that the selectors were looking for a left-arm option in the pace department with the Australian tour coming up in November. The Chennai pitch for the first Bangladesh Test and India going with three seamers highlights that they have one eye on the tour down under.
It makes Round 3 crucial for 2024 T20 World Cup hero Arshdeep Singh with the fellow left-arm pacer and the in-form Khaleel Ahmed missing out for India A. With much expected, Arshdeep has struggled in the opening two rounds with only four wickets at an average of almost 46.
Yet, with Mohammed Shami's injury status still unclear and Yash Dayal still to completely take over the left-arm pace-bowling throne, Arshdeep has a golden opportunity to make an 11th-hour cut to the Indian Test squad for the Australian tour.
Mukesh Kumar, who played for India in the England Tests, and the impressive Harshit Rana, whose height and bounce might be valuable in Australia, could also stake a claim for selection in the Indian Test squad.
There is also Anshul Kamboj, the leading wicket-taker after two rounds with 13 scalps at a stunning average of 13.84, that could make a back-door entry to the national Test squad if the stars align as India look for backup options to Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj should Shami not recover in time.