While Kohli chooses to rest, other stars set to grace Duleep trophy
Sep 4, 2016 at 12:12 PM
Though the Indian Test captain Virat Kohli has decided not to play the Duleep trophy final due to team India’s gruelling schedule ahead, other players like Murali Vijay, Cheteshwar Pujara, and Harbhajan Singh are set to participate in the trophy with an aim to get selected for the Indian team.
All the three players are struggling for their place in the Indian team. Though Murali Vijay is the permanent member of the Indian team but not to forget he was dropped for the third Test match in West Indies despite being fit.
Talking of Chetshwar Pujara, with every passing day his ability to score runs is falling, as a result, he has been dropped many times. But Pujara is a bully on home soil as his average in India is very impressive. Keeping this fact in mind selectors will also keep a keen eye on Pujara as team India is set to play 13 Test matches on home soil.
Last but not the least, Harbhajan Singh who skipped the first game of Duleep trophy due to unavailability will also grace the day with his presence. A veteran of 103 Test matches, Bhajji has been in and out of the team from past 5 years. He was neither the part of the Indian team which toured West Indies nor was part of home series (Test series) against South Africa last year. He has a direct competition with Ravindra Jadeja and Amit Mishra as Ashwin has fixed his place in Indian team. It is the biggest stage for him to perform and get an Indian call but if fails here, then it might be the end of the career for him at least in Test cricket.
Apart from these three players,; Gautam Gambhir and Suresh Raina, captains of India Blue and India Green respectively, will also be part of the game and both of them will be leading their respective sides. Winner of the game will qualify for the finals against India Red led by Yuvraj Singh. The final game will be a five-day affair and will be played at the same venue.