NEW DELHI: The BCCI has placed a significant emphasis on senior Indian cricket players participating in the prestigious Duleep Trophy, a tournament that has been a part of the Indian domestic calendar since 1961/62.
Chetan Sharma, the former chief selector of the Indian cricket team, has lauded this decision, emphasizing the significance of playing cricket competitively and the opportunity it presents for players.
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The Duleep Trophy is set to commence on September 5 in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, and M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
Chetan Sharma expressed his support for the BCCI’s decision. “It is a great decision by the BCCI, our job is to play cricket, and we should not refuse to play cricket anywhere. To get the opportunity to play competitively is ideal. BCCI’s decision to host all Duleep Trophy games at one venue is a great decision, as we will have India’s best 50-60 players in one place,” he told IANS.
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Originally a zonal competition with teams representing six zones – North, South, East, West, Central, and North-East – the Duleep Trophy will feature only four teams this time.
As the second round coincides with the home Test series against Bangladesh starting on September 19, players selected for the Test series will be replaced in the Duleep Trophy.
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Bangladesh are coming off a historic win against Pakistan in the first Test of the two-game series, which marked Bangladesh’s first-ever Test victory over Pakistan. The Tigers not only registered their first-ever victory against Pakistan but did so in emphatic fashion with a 10-wicket victory at Rawalpindi.
Chetan Sharma emphasized the importance of taking every opponent seriously, stating, “International cricket is never easy, no matter the opponent, and you always have to be serious. India will be preparing differently for Bangladesh and Australia in different manners. We are also in the middle of the World Test Championship, so we have to make sure we register emphatic victories over Bangladesh.”
