Kochi: Star India and Rajasthan Royals wicketkeeper
Sanju Samson was omitted from the Duleep Trophy South Zone squad that will interestingly feature five players from Kerala.
Sanju, who played just two
Ranji Trophy matches during Kerala's historic run to their maiden final last year, remained on the fringes for the better part of the previous season, owing to injury concerns and international commitments.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The selectors emphasized the importance of selecting players with strong red-ball performances for the Duleep Trophy, which serves as the curtain-raiser to the domestic cricket season.
"Sanju was not selected because he was unavailable for much of last year’s Ranji Trophy season, when Kerala made their historic run to the final," Thalaivan Sargunam Xavier, the chairman for South Zone selection committee, told TOI.
"This squad was picked based on players who have consistently performed well in the Ranji Trophy and during India A tours. N Jagadeeshan, the wicketkeeper-batter, who was added as cover for the injured
Rishabh Pant during the ongoing England series, was selected due to his standout performances in domestic red-ball cricket. This is the blueprint set by the national selectors. Consequently, we decided to include Jagadeeshan and Andhra's Ricky Bhui as the stand-in gloveman," Xavier added.
South Zone will be led by Tilak Varma, the stylish batter from Hyderabad, while Kerala captain Mohammad Azharudden was appointed Varma's deputy. The other players from Kerala include middle-order batter Salman Nizar and fast bowlers M D Nidheesh, Basil N P, Eden Apple Tom. Duleep Trophy begins in Bengaluru from August 28.
The bevy of Kerala players included in the Duleep Trophy, will be available for the second edition of the Kerala Cricket League (KCL) till September 2.
"All the Kerala players selected for Duleep Trophy will be available for the better part of the KCL season till September 2, after which they will have to report in Bengaluru for their Duleep Trophy game that begins from September 4," Vinod S Kumar, KCA secretary, said.
The second season of KCL will begin on August 22 and end on September 7.
South Zone: Tilak Varma (c) (Hyderabad), Mohammed Azharuddeen (vc) (Kerala), Tanmay Agarwal (Hyderabad), Devdutt Padikkal (Karnataka), Mohit Kale (Pondicherry), Salman Nizar (Kerala), Narayan Jagadeesan (Tamil Nadu), Tripurana Vijay (Andhra), R Sai Kishore (Tamil Nadu), Tanay Thyagarajan (Hyderabad), Vijaykumar Vyshak (Karnataka), Nidheesh MD (Kerala), Ricky Bhui (Andhra), Basil NP (Kerala), Gurjapneet Singh (Tamil Nadu), Snehal Kauthankar (Goa)
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