A keen battle is on the cards when North Zone take on West Zone in the quarterfinals of the Duleep Trophy that gets underway at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Saturday. The match, though, has lost much sheen with many Indian stalwarts withdrawing, says a report in Deccan Chronicle, adding that in the context, North Zone would be a lot more bothered by the absence of big names than their opponents. Virender Sehwag, who was expected to lead, is out due to an ankle injury.
“Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh are unavailable as they are participating in the Champions League in South Africa, while Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh have opted for rest. On the other hand, Zaheer Khan, Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja are the prominent absentees that West Zone have to do without,” adds the report.
According to a report in Indian Express, West would rely on Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Kaustubh Pawar (Mumbai), Bhushan Chava (Saurashtra), Ankit Bawne (Maharashtra) and wicket-keeper Smit Patel to deliver the goods in the batting department. Parthiv Patel has also been included in the team as the 16th member. On the bowling front, West will miss the services of pace spearhead Zaheer Khan and all-rounders Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja.
“We have a good team and our players are in good nick. Most of the players have figured in the Salve Trophy in Rajkot. So, I have high hopes from them,” said West Zone coach Sulakshan Kulkarni. The match will be played on the newly-laid strip at the M Chinnaswamy stadium here and West coach Kulkarni said the toss will play a crucial role.
Meanwhile The Hindu reports that with the Duleep Trophy slotted in at the beginning of the season as part of the re-structured Indian domestic calendar, the combatants — North Zone and West Zone — would be primed to make capital of their quarterfinal duel beginning here on Saturday, says a report in The Hindu, adding that neither team has rosy memories of its showing in the competition last year, having been shown the exit door by eventual champion East Zone.
“While West fizzled out in the quarterfinal, North went down in a last-four clash after failing to secure the first-innings lead. There hasn’t been much change in the composition of either side from the last edition; young and experienced personnel alike will seek to ensure that their performances resonate with the newly-appointed selection committee,” says the report, adding that West’s batting might is, doubtless, a result of the presence of skipper Cheteshwar Pujara and Ajinkya Rahane.
“The 24-year-old Pujara has been irrepressible ever since his successful comeback to the Indian side: he belted out a brace of unbeaten tons and a half-century in a victorious NKP Salve Challenger Trophy campaign for India ‘B’. Kedar Jadhav, Abhishek Nayar, and Kaustubh Pawar round off a fine batting unit. The bowling complement includes pacers Ishwar Chaudhary and Kshemal Waingankar. Promising left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh and wicket-keeper Smit Patel, members of the under-19 World Cup winning team, are also part of the mix,” says the report.