As senior Indian players gear up for the first round of the Duleep Trophy starting September 5, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has made a clear objective evident through its squad selection: the need for emerging fast bowlers. While India’s top pace bowlers, led by Jasprit Bumrah and supported by Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj, are among the best globally, issues such as Bumrah’s frequent rest periods, Shami’s ongoing fitness concerns, and Siraj’s inconsistent performances have prompted the BCCI to focus on developing future talents.
The BCCI has selected over 20 pacers across the four Duleep Trophy squads, including several uncapped players and others with limited international experience. The goal is to identify promising bowlers and provide them with the opportunities needed for the upcoming Australian tour.
Former India bowling coach Bharat Arun highlighted the importance of red-ball cricket for these bowlers, stressing the need for experience on unresponsive pitches and the ability to adapt by learning techniques such as reverse swing. Arun pointed out that such conditions helped bowlers like Siraj and Shami develop their skills.
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Paras Mhambrey, another former India bowling coach, cautioned against relying solely on IPL performances to gauge a bowler’s potential. He used Umran Malik as an example, noting that the T20 format does not provide a full picture of a bowler’s ability in red-ball cricket. Mhambrey emphasized that performing well in first-class cricket is crucial for a bowler’s development.
Here is the full list of fast bowlers and pace-bowling all-rounders selected for the Duleep Trophy first round:
- Akash Deep
- Prasidh Krishna
- Khaleel Ahmed
- Avesh Khan
- Vidwath Kaverappa
- Mohammed Siraj
- Yash Dayal
- Mukesh Kumar
- Umran Malik
- Vijaykumar Vyshak
- Anshul Kamboj
- Himanshu Chauhan
- Arshdeep Singh
- Harshit Rana
- Tushar Deshpande
- Aditya Thakare
- Akash Sengupta
- Navdeep Saini
- Mohit Avasthi
- Sandeep Warrier
- Gaurav Yadav
- Shivam Dube
- Nitish Reddy
