Virat Kohli may miss Duleep Trophy final
Sep 4, 2016 at 12:04 PM
India is going to have a busy home schedule in the coming months as they are scheduled to play as many as 13 Tests. And if India wants to ensure that their domination at home continues then one man will have to play a big role – Indian Test skipper Virat Kohli. With a young team at his disposal, the batting sensation will have a big responsibility to lead the team from the front.
And keeping that in mind the 27-year old has reportedly asked for rest and may skip the pink ball Duleep Trophy final, scheduled to be held under lights from September 10-14.
The right-handed batsman has just returned from the four-match Test series in the Carribean, which was followed by two-match T20 Internationals series against the same opposition in the US, and the team management believes that the batting mainstay should be given ample time to refresh himself for the upcoming series against New Zealand.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India had initially planned to make Kohli along with other senior players play the Duleep Trophy match to get some valuable reaction on the much debated pink ball. India is planning to host its first day-night Test and the senior players’ reactions can play a vital role in that regard.
Reports also suggest that besides Kohli, fast bowlers Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami and Ishant Sharma could also be rested for the upcoming game. But the game will not be short on star-power as the likes of Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Amit Mishra are all set to play the match.
The rise of T20 has made people lose interest in Test cricket and the pink ball Test is seen as a good innovation to draw the fans to the stadium once again. And so the BCCI decided to change the format of Duleep Trophy this year to get a feel of the latest innovation. The board replaced the zonal set-up for Duleep Trophy this year with a Challenger-style three-team format.