5 bowlers who can't afford to perform badly in 2024 Duleep Trophy ft. Arshdeep Singh
The past few seasons have witnessed regular Team India members skip domestic matches. However, the BCCI has announced squads for the first round of the Duleep Trophy which many Indian stars will be a part of.
The trio of Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, and Mohammad Siraj are the first-choice bowlers for India across formats.
As far as the other paces are concerned, none of them have set the stage on fire except Arshdeep Singh, who has been exceptional in the shortest format.
The Duleep Trophy 2024 provided a perfect opportunity for the fringe bowlers to cement their places in the Indian squad based on strong domestic performances.
On that note, here is a look at five bowlers who can't afford to perform badly in the 2024 Duleep Trophy.
#1 Arshdeep Singh
The left-arm pacer was one of the architects behind India's T20 World Cup 2024 triumph.
However, he has failed to impress in ODIs and is yet to make his Test debut. There have been rumors in the media that Arshdeep Singh could be considered as a pace option when India tours Australia later this year.
However, Arshdeep would need to put in strong domestic performances to make a case for himself to be included in the Indian Test team.
Arshdeep is a left-handed pacer and brings a different dimension to his bowling and could be preferred in the Test squad if he has a good season in Duleep Trophy 2024.
#2 Mukesh Kumar
The pacer was a part of the Indian team that toured Zimbabwe last month and put in some impressive performances in the shortest format. Mukesh Kumar was surprisingly left out of both the Indian squads (T20Is and ODIs) that played Sri Lanka.
He was a part of the Indian squad that last played a Test series against England earlier this year. Mukesh can nip the ball both ways and could be an asset for the Indian team in Australia for the five-match Test series.
#3 Umran Malik
Umran Malik impressed one and all with his speed when he made his international debut in 2022. He played 10 ODIs and 8 T20Is before he was left out of the Indian squad.
Malik's pace is his "X-Factor" and he can unsettle even the best batters with it. It remains to be seen as to how he will perform in the upcoming Duleep Trophy.
A strong performance could see him being included in the Indian Test team. However, if he fails to perform it would be difficult for him to make a comeback in the Indian team for any of the formats.
#4 Khaleel Ahmed
Khaleel Ahmed was a part of the Indian squad that recently played the T20I series in Zimbabwe and the team that played T20Is and ODIs against Sri Lanka.
He played three T20Is in Zimbabwe but did not set the stage on fire with his performances. Khaleel played a solitary T20I against Sri Lanka and did not feature in any of the three ODIs against Sri Lanka.
Khaleel last played an ODI in 2019 and is yet to play a Test match. He would be in direct competition with Arshdeep Singh as India's left-handed pacer in Test cricket.
#5 Prasidh Krishna
Prasidh Krishna has played two Tests, 17 ODIs, and five T20Is picking up 39 wickets across formats. He last played a Test against South Africa early this year.
However, there have been certain fitness issues for Krishna recently and he hasn't been able to maintain his place in the Indian squad consistently.
The 2024 Duleep Trophy provides a perfect opportunity for Krishna to showcase his fitness and take his game to another level.
Krishna would be consciously aware that a bad performance in the Duleep Trophy would lead to his non-inclusion in the Indian Test team considering the competition amongst pacers in the Indian line-up.