Predicting the first playing 11 of Team D of Duleep Trophy 2024 ft. Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan
If you look at the squads for the 2024 Duleep Trophy closely, the number of international stars who are sure-shot starters goes down from team A to D. Whether deliberately done by the selectors to test the domestic youngsters, teams C and D have hardly any player who'd be playing the first Test against Bangladesh in September, which makes them the clear underdogs with interesting dynamics.
Team D, especially, look like a tricky mix of white-ball stars who want to prove their mettle in the red-ball game and Ranji Trophy performers trying to show they are ready to take the next step.
In such a set-up, if the squad manages to crack the force of unity, they can be the most dangerous side. But if they don't, they'd find themselves vulnerable to being picked apart by teams with multiple ruthless Test players.
Below, we have experimented to pick a good strong 11 for the first game for team D. Check how it shapes up:
Top order: Yash Dubey, Atharva Taide, and Devdutt Padikkal
Three of the best 2023-24 Ranji Trophy batters make the top order of this team. Madhya Pradesh opener Yash Dubey and Vidarbha opener Atharva Taide, who are both in the good half of their 20s, had almost similar seasons scoring 615 runs (16 innings) and 584 (15 innings), respectively.
While Dubey scored six half-centuries without a ton, Taide had a 50 percent conversion rate in his four fifty-plus scores. Their left-hand-right-hand combination should provide solidity and a bit of flair to this 11.
Devdutt Padikkal had a stunning season for Karnataka too and should slot into this 11 at No. 3 like a glove. He scored three centuries in just six innings and might be seen as the big run accumulator for this team - an image he'll want to put forward to the national selectors.
Middle order: Ricky Bhui, Shreyas Iyer (C), Ishan Kishan (WK), Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar
Adding to the pattern of Ranji Trophy stars, Ricky Bhui, the highest run-scorer of the season with a whopping 902 runs, will likely start the middle order in this team. The Andhra Pradesh man is a bit of a savior-like courageous batter who'll provide leadership, thanks to his experience of taking the state through the Hanuma Vihari crisis as well.
A spine of India hopefuls for the Bangladesh series will follow next. Skipper Shreyas Iyer, who'll be brimming with leadership confidence after winning the IPL, wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan, and all-rounder Axar Patel.
After losing their central contracts in controversial circumstances, Iyer and Kishan have a lot to prove. Kishan's form in the Buchi Babu tournament should allow him to be ahead of another capped Indian 'keeper KS Bharat in the pecking order.
Uttar Pradesh's brilliant spin all-rounder Saurabh Kumar, who has 304 wickets and 2116 runs in 70 first-class matches, and has been close to making his Test debut multiple times, would love this chance.
He and Axar might have played more Tests in a different era for Indian spin. They would want to maintain that image by showing they are a level above the large number of spin all-rounders in the tournament.
Bowlers: Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, and Tushar Deshpande
The final three of this side have the least Ranji and international cricket experience but are still pretty solid. To take the batting to 10, the team should likely go with IPL 2024 breakout star Harshit Rana because he can give 10-12 overs of good pace, seam movement, and a bit of variation.
Left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh would get a great chance to impress ahead of a big Test season, where he's being touted as the variety option for India's pace battery. Tushar Deshpande, who was in good form for Mumbai in the last Ranji Trophy and in an even better rhythm in IPL 2024, would round up this team, hoping to create more of his magical short spells of several wickets in the tournament.