Central Zone captain Dhruv Jurel and East Zone skipper Abhimanyu Easwaran were absent as the Duleep Trophy quarter-finals got underway in Bengaluru on Thursday, dealing a blow to their respective sides.
North Zone, too, entered the match with a leadership change. Original skipper Shubman Gill was sidelined after failing to recover from a fever in time. Vice-captain Ankit Kumar stepped up to lead the team, while Shubham Goel was added as Gill’s replacement.
Central Zone faced a similar challenge with Jurel missing the clash against NorthEast Zone due to a groin niggle that flared up on the eve of the match. Although the Test specialist was present for pre-match proceedings, team management advised him to sit out to avoid further aggravating the injury. In his absence, Rajat Patidar, who captained Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their IPL title earlier this year and was Central Zone’s vice-captain, took over the leadership role in the high-stakes knockout game.
East Zone faced an even bigger crisis. Abhimanyu Easwaran fell ill with a fever on the morning of their quarter-final against North Zone at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. His absence left a void in the top order, compounded by the unavailability of pacer Akash Deep and wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan. Assam all-rounder Riyan Parag was handed the captaincy, stepping into the leadership void to guide a weakened side in a tough encounter.
Easwaran’s absence was particularly disappointing, given his recent stint on the five-Test tour of England, where he remained on the bench throughout. Like Jurel, he has been part of India’s squad in the longest format but has struggled for opportunities. Both players would have been eager to make an impact in the Duleep Trophy quarter-finals.
The two sides named their Playing XIs as follows:
North East Zone: Karnajit Yumnam, Techi Doria, Hem Chetri, Rongsen Jonathan(c), Ashish Thapa, Jehu Anderson(w), Ankur Malik, Palzor Tamang, Bishworjit Konthoujam, Akash Choudhary, Pheiroijam Jotin
Central Zone: Aayush Pandey, Danish Malewar, Rajat Patidar(c), Aryan Juyal(w), Yash Rathod, Shubham Sharma, Harsh Dubey, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Aditya Thakare, Khaleel Ahmed
