Sarfaraz Khan set to play Duleep Trophy before Bangladesh Test

In a recent development, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has unveiled the squads for the second round of the Duleep Trophy. Notably, many players selected for India's opening Test against Bangladesh, including prominent names like Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, and Shubman Gill, have been withdrawn from the Duleep Trophy. However, the scenario is different for Sarfaraz Khan and Yash Dayal, who have both been asked to continue their participation in the Duleep Trophy despite their inclusion in the Test squad.

Sarfaraz Khan and Yash Dayal retain Duleep Trophy duties

Sarfaraz Khan and Yash Dayal, both of whom are part of India's 16-man squad for the first Test against Bangladesh, will continue to play in the Duleep Trophy. This decision indicates that they are unlikely to be included in the playing eleven for the Test match scheduled to take place in Chennai. The BCCI's move suggests a strategic approach, potentially to maintain their form and fitness leading up to the Test series.

Impact on team selection and player competitions

Sarfaraz Khan’s continued participation in the Duleep Trophy suggests that KL Rahul is likely to secure a spot in India’s Test XI. Khan and Rahul were viewed as direct competitors for a middle-order position, and Khan’s presence in the Duleep Trophy aligns with Rahul’s probable inclusion in the Test squad. Meanwhile, there have been no changes to the India C squad led by Ruturaj Gaikwad. Noteworthy performances have been observed from Pant, Rahul, and Akash Deep in the Duleep Trophy opener, indicating a promising return to form for these players.

The BCCI, in a release ahead of the second round of Duleep Trophy matches, said: "India B's Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant have been named in India's squad and the selectors have named Suyash Prabhudessai and Rinku Singh as replacements respectively. Fast bowler Yash Dayal has received his maiden national call-up while Sarfaraz Khan, who too has been named in India's squad, will feature in the second-round game."

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Updated India A squad: Mayank Agarwal (C), Riyan Parag, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna, Khaleel Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Kumar Kushagra, Shaswat Rawat, Pratham Singh, Akshay Wadkar, SK Rasheed, Shams Mulani, Aaqib Khan

Updated India B squad: Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Sarfaraz Khan, Musheer Khan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Navdeep Saini, Mukesh Kumar, Rahul Chahar, R Sai Kishore, Mohit Awasthi, N Jagadeesan (WK), Suyash Prabhudessai, Rinku Singh, Himanshu Mantri (WK)

Team C squad remains unchanged for the second round. 

Updated India D squad: Shreyas lyer (C), Atharva Taide, Yash Dubey, Devdutt Padikkal, Ricky Bhui, Saransh Jain, Arshdeep Singh, Aditya Thakare, Harshit Rana, Akash Sengupta, KS Bharat (WK), Saurabh Kumar, Sanju Samson (WK), Nishant Sindhu, Vidwath Kaverappa