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Defending champions have direct entry into the semi-final where they will play the winner of Central Zone vs East Zone
Suryakumar Yadav made his Test debut earlier this year, against Australia in Nagpur. • BCCI
Cheteshwar Pujara and Suryakumar Yadav have been drafted into the West Zone squad for the 2023 Duleep Trophy beginning June 28 in Bengaluru.
They have been brought in for Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad, who have been named in India’s Test squad due to visit the Caribbean. Priyank Panchal, the Gujarat opener, will remain captain of West Zone, which also features Sarfaraz Khan and Prithvi Shaw among others.
Pujara has been left out of India’s Test squad after the World Test Championship final earlier this month, where he made 14 and 27. While his omission has elicited debate and criticism, Pujara himself appears to be looking forward and has begun training for the new season in Rajkot, his hometown.
West Zone, the defending champions, have direct entry into the semi-final on July 5, where they will play the winner of Central Zone and East Zone. Pujara is also slated to return to England after the Duleep Trophy to complete his county commitments with Sussex in Division Two of the Championship.
Pujara had started his county season in April with a century against Durham and followed it with hundreds against Gloucestershire and Worcestershire as well. He was the Sussex captain in the six games he played, where he scored 545 runs at an average of 68.12. He will also feature in the Royal London Cup, the 50-over domestic competition in England, later in the summer.
Meanwhile, for Suryakumar, a return to first-class cricket is another opportunity to prove his red-ball chops. He made his Test debut in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy opener against Australia in February but sat out of the remainder of the series. He has formidable first-class numbers: 5557 runs in 133 innings at an average of 44.45, with 14 centuries and 28 half-centuries.
Suryakumar is part of India’s ODI squad to face West Indies on July 27 in Bridgetown. It’s likely he’ll be part of the T20I series that follows too. The Duleep Trophy final, though, is set for July 12 so he should still be available for West Zone if they make it there.
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