More than two weeks after he was not considered for North Zone’s Duleep Trophy squad, former India U-19 captain Yash Dhull, who led the team to the title last year, has been appointed India A captain for Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup 50-overs tournament. The tournament will be played from July 13 to July 23 in Sri Lanka and will see Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Oman and UAE in action.
Both the selection and captaincy have come as a lifeline of sorts for Dhull who has had a tough time in the domestic circuit for Delhi. Apart from the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he was the leading run-getter with 363 runs from eight innings, Dhull has had below-par outings in both Vijay Hazare Trophy and Ranji Trophy. The right-hander didn’t have an impressive IPL too and could manage only 16 runs from three innings.
On June 15, Dhull was discussed at length during North Zone’s selection meeting for Duleep Trophy but lack of runs made it difficult for the selectors to include him even in the standbys.
“There weren’t many runs to back Dhull’s case. The name came up for discussion but there were others who had done better,” a source close to developments told News18 CricketNext.
The 20-year-old would now look to make this opportunity count because there is a lot of competition in the middle-order.
The Rise of Sai
Sai Sudharsan’s stocks are on the rise as the stylish southpaw continues to take giant strides forward. After the impressive domestic season, the youngster looked very good in the IPL and hasn’t put a foot wrong in the ongoing Tamil Nadu Premier League.
Sai will now be turning up for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy contest from July 5 before he joins the India A squad. Across formats, Sai’s temperament and ability to deliver under pressure have been lauded and the correct game makes him a very pleasing batter to watch.
Keep an eye on
Harshit Rana and Nishant Sindhu will be two players to keep an eye on as both are young and have a lot of potential. Those who have seen their growth from close quarters feel the duo have what it takes to make the next level and just needs to keep delivering.
While Rana is a tall, strong bowler who can consistently bowl long spells at a brisk pace and can hit the ball a fair distance, Sindhu has done well for Haryana in the middle-order and is an equally handy left-arm spin bowling option. Both have age on their side and can be groomed for the next level.
Rajasthan’s Manav Suthar is another promising talent who has done really well for the state at First Class level. The 20-year-old has picked 44 wickets from the eight games he has played so far and has been rewarded for his heroics with the red ball.
The U-19 flavour
Most of the players in the squad have played for India U-19 in the past and are under-23. The Junior Cricket Committee led by VS Thilak Naidu and comprising Ranadeb Bose, Harvinder Singh Sodhi, Pathik Patel & Krishen Mohan have picked a very young squad and the only exception is Snell Patel who is 29.
No change in Duleep Trophy squads for July 5 fixtures
As of now, there is no change in the various Zone squads for the ongoing Duleep Trophy. The players named in India A squad will participate in the fixtures starting from July 5 and there could be some changes in the Zone team which makes the final.
West Zone take on Central Zone in the first semi-final and South Zone will be up against North Zone in the second semi-final. The winner of the two clashes will meet for the title on July 12. With India A set to play their first match against UAE A on July 13, the two teams reaching the final will certainly undergo some changes.
“No information yet on releasing the India A players. As things stand, they will continue to play in the fixture starting July 5. But there will be some changes to the teams reaching the final,” says a zone official.
India A squad: Sai Sudharsan, Abhishek Sharma (VC), Nikin Jose, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, Yash Dhull (C), Riyan Parag, Nishant Sindhu, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Manav Suthar, Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, Harshit Rana, Akash Singh, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Rajvardhan Hangargekar
Standby list of players: Harsh Dubey, Nehal Wadhera, Snell Patel, Mohit Redkar
Coaching Staff: Sitanshu Kotak (Head Coach), Sairaj Bahutule (Bowling Coach), Munish Bali (Fielding Coach)
India A fixtures are as below:
13-Jul-23: India A vs UAE A SSC
15-Jul-23: India A vs Pakistan A SSC
18-Jul-23: India A vs Nepal P Sara Oval
21-Jul-23: SF 1 (Group A 1st vs Group B 2nd) RPICS
21-Jul-23: SF 2 (Group B 1st vs Group A 2nd) P Sara Oval
23-Jul-23: Final RPICS