Bhubaneswar: Duleep Trophy is considered as a prestigious domestic tournament from where top performers are selected in the Indian team.
In the recently concluded Duleep Trophy 2023, South Zone, led by former Hyderabad and Andhra Pradesh captain Hanuma Vihari, defeated West Zone by 75 runs in the final to clinch their 14th title.
Though, West Zone had a lot of big names in their team with the likes of Priyank Panchal, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Sarfaraz Khan and Suryakumar Yadav, the South Zone bowlers particularly the pacers rose to the occasion and guided their side to a stunning victory.
With a bit of rain in the air bringing with it some moisture on the pitches, the pace bowlers dominated the proceedings and gave a tough challenge to the batters.
Team India always struggle to find quality pacers in their ranks. Moreover, there is a requirement to bolster the bench strength of the Indian team with quality pacers all the time due to injury issues.
Let’s have a look at some pacers who impressed tremendously in this edition of the Duleep Trophy and can be fast-tracked into the Indian side.
Uttar Pradesh seamer Shivam Mavi played for Central Zone in Duleep Trophy 2023. He is known for his express pace. Already having got T20I cap for India, Mavi’s performances suggested that he can be pushed towards the longer format of the game too. With his impressive show of 6/44 against a star-studded West Zone side in the semifinal, Mavi is a strong contender for the longest format in Team India ranks.
Another pacer Arzan Nagwaswalla was responsible for single-handedly wrecking the Central Zone batting unit in their semifinal clash in Alur. He swung the ball back extremely well. His ability to exploit the condition was commendable.
Being a left-handed bowler, there is an excellent chance that Team India selectors will keep an eye on Nagwaswalla for the Test side as he will offer variety to the Indian attack.
Karnataka pacer Vidwath Kaverappa was perhaps the find of the Duleep Trophy. The lanky medium pacer swings the ball both ways. He was one of the key architects of South Zone’s title victory. He picked up a game changing 7-53 in the first innings of the final against West Zone. Young Kaverappa is an exciting prospect and he needs to be considered for the longest format of the game in Team India.
