Their exclusion from the Duleep Trophy squad suggests that this could be the end of the road for the veteran duo.
The Duleep Trophy 2025 is set to begin on August 28, and veteran Indian batters Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara have not been picked in the West Zone squad. Meanwhile, under-fire all-rounder Shardul Thakur has been named captain by the zonal selection committee.
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Both Ajinkya Rahane and Cheteshwar Pujara have not retired from Test cricket and still hope to make a return to the Indian team, having last played in 2023. However, their exclusion from the Duleep Trophy squad suggests that this could be the end of the road for the duo.
In the 2024–25 Ranji Trophy season, Rahane scored 467 runs in 14 innings with an average of 35.92, and Pujara scored 402 runs in 10 innings at an average of 40.2. Both did okay, but their performances weren’t strong enough to push for a return.
On the other hand, Shardul Thakur had a more impactful domestic season. He scored 505 runs in 12 innings at an average of 42.08 and also took 35 wickets in 18 matches. His strong performance earned him a place in the Indian squad for the England Test series, where he played in two matches and scored 41 runs in his last innings. However, he managed to take only two wickets in those games. Even though he didn’t get to bowl many overs, he couldn’t do enough to win the trust of captain Shubman Gill, which led to his exclusion from the ongoing fifth Test at The Oval. Instead, India strengthened their batting by including Karun Nair in the playing 11.
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The Duleep Trophy will also be an important opportunity for players like Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who are part of the West Zone squad. All three will be looking to impress the selectors ahead of future Test series.
It is also a chance for Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has had mixed performances in the England series, to get back in form. Other notable domestic performers like Tanush Kotian and Shams Mulani are also part of the West Zone team.
West Zone squad for Duleep Trophy 2025: Shardul Thakur (Capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Aarya Desai, Harvik Desai (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Sarfaraz Khan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jaymeet Patel, Manan Hingrajia, Saurabh Nawale (wk), Shams Mulani, Tanush Kotian, Dharmendra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Arzan Nagwaswala.
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