Duleep Trophy Round 2: Iyer stands out as players vie for Agarkar and Gambhir's attention, Ishan misses opportunity

The selectors completed their evaluations after closely monitoring the players in Bengaluru and Anantapur during the first round of the 2024 Duleep Trophy last weekend. The 16-member squad for the upcoming Test match against Bangladesh in Chennai has been finalized as a result. However, for those who didn't make it to the initial list, all hope is not lost. There are still two more rounds of the domestic red-ball competition remaining, with round two scheduled to kick off on September 12 at the same venues. The committee led by Ajit Agarkar and newly appointed India head coach Gautam Gambhir will continue to keep a close watch on the matches. They will not only consider making changes for the second Test against Bangladesh but also keep a lookout for potential backup players for the busy Test schedule ahead. The team is gearing up for the upcoming series against New Zealand at home in October, followed by the challenging tour of Australia in December. It is essential to have a pool of talented players ready to step in when needed during the grueling Test matches in the coming months.

India D captain Shreyas Iyer, looking for a return to Test cricket since being dropped from the Indian team midway through the England series at home in February, was the most notable miss-outs from the national squad for the opening Test against Bangladesh. He may not have made a significant return to red-ball action, which includes his lone appearance in the pre-season Buchi Babu tournament last month, but he showed a glimpse of his abilities with a fiery knock of 54 against India C last week in the first round of Duleep Trophy. Amid stiff competition in the middle-order line-up, which comprises KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan, Iyer could only aim for a mountain of runs in the next two matches to find himself back in the national reckoning.

With national regulars missing in the second round, the focus will shift to Rinku Singh, who was surprisingly not named for the opening round of the Duleep Trophy. And, the left-hander will look to prove that he is as handy a batter in the traditional format as he is in T20 cricket.

Mayank Agarwal, who will lead India A after Shubman Gill left the side to join the national team, will be hoping to seal the backup opening slot amid competition from Sai Sudharsan and Ruturaj Gaikwad. The India opener last donned the national colour in Test cricket in March 2022.

Other batters who will be hoping to impress Agarkar and Gambhir are Rajat Patidar, who was dropped from the Indian team following a disastrous debut series against England, Devdutt Padikkal, who made a Test debut against the Ben Stokes-led side in Dharamsala earlier this year and scored a fifty last week in Duleep Trophy, and Sanju Samson, who was a notable name missing from India D's playing XI against India C.

One of the significant tasks for the selectors through these domestic tournaments will be to create a pool of fast bowlers. Akash Deep nudged ahead in the race after a nine-wicket haul, which included a second-innings fifer, in the opening round of the Duleep Trophy last week, in addition to a knock of 43. But round two of the tournament will offer a chance to the likes of Mukesh Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed and Prasidh Krishna, who missed the opener having not fully completed his rehab for a left quadriceps tendon.

Among the spinners, left-armer Manav Suthar will be hoping to build his reputation after a match-winning fifer last week against India D, while India B's Washington Sundar will be aiming to keep himself in the mix for all formats with his all-round abilities.

Ishan made a fabulous comeback to red-ball action for the first time since his Test debut in the summer of 2023 in the West Indies, with a match-winning century in the Buchi Babu tournament last month. However, an injury during the invitational event denied him a shot at a potential comeback to the Indian Test squad as he was dropped from the opening round of the Duleep Trophy.

India T20I captain Suryakumar, who made his intentions clear of wanting to represent the national team across formats and add to his lone Test representation 19 months back, too suffered a similar fate. The India batter had sprained his hand during the Buchi Babu tournament.

However, with BCCI sharing no update on their respective injuries, it remains another lost opportunity for the Mumbai Indians boys to make a Test return.