'Despite Gambhir being there' - Not Kohli or Rohit, former Pakistan player questions absence of these three players for Duleep Trophy
Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali is quizzed about the absence of senior Indian cricketers like Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, and Sanju Samson from the upcoming Duleep Trophy, which is set to commence on September 5. The cricketer turned analyst feels that Pujara has been the most crucial batter for the upcoming historic Border Gavaskar Trophy set to commence at the end of the year. Notably, star batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, great speedster Jasprit Bumrah, and veteran off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin got exemptions from the upcoming Duleep Trophy in 2024.
Notably, it seems that Pujara and Rahane have fallen out of favour; Sanju Samson and Rinku Singh seem to be the notable omissions from the four squads of the Duleep Trophy. In the same vein, Basit Ali says that he was stunned to not see 3–4 names in the squad. He was baffled by the inclusion of star all-rounder Shivam Dube over Sanju Samson and Rinku Singh.
"I saw the teams and I am surprised that 3-4 names are not there. Ajinkya Rahane is not there. Cheteshwar Pujara is not there. Sanju Samson is not there. Rinku Singh is not there. Shivam Dube has been picked. I think he is being readied as an all-rounder. Let’s see who performs in the Duleep Trophy," Basit Ali said on his YouTube channel.
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The 53-year-old cricketer feels that India might use Pujara in the upcoming five matches of the Test series against Australia. The Karachi-born cricketer was stunned to see the absence of Rinku Singh, despite Gautam Gambhir being there, who was his mentor back in the IPL in 2024. Meanwhile, Pujara and Rahane were last featured in the 2023 World Test Championship Final. The CSK star Ajinkya Rahane was the top scorer of the team, while Pujara failed to bat long as the top-order batter was just able to manage 14 and 27 runs. Pat Cummins and his men pipped Rohit Sharma and his team in the final showdown to become the World Test Champions at the Oval in London.
"Pujara could have been of good use in Australia. I am surprised that he is not there despite Gautam Gambhir being there [as India coach]. Even Rinku Singh in not there. Again, considering the Gambhir factor, this is rather surprising," he added further.
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