New Delhi: A number of India’s Test regulars, including captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli are reportedly set to feature in the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2024 to prepare for India’s Test series against Bangladesh next month. The Bangladesh Test series will be followed by three Tests against New Zealand in October and the Border Gavaskar Trophy in Australia in December this year.
With a packed Test calendar ahead of them, the Ajit Agarkar-led senior selection panel and the Indian team management want all the regulars to take part in the Duleep Trophy to get ready for the gruelling challenge ahead. While the likes of Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav among others are all set to feature, the board has left the choice to Kohli and Rohit to decide whether they want to play in the Duleep Trophy or not.
Rohit and Kohli are yet to confirm their availability for the tournament, but there are strong chances of the duo turning up for their respective teams. Rohit last played in the Duleep Trophy in 2016 while Kohli’s last appearance in the domestic long-format tournament came in 2010. Kohli’s last appearance in the Duleep Trophy was incidentally also the only time he faced off against Rohit in the tournament.
What happened when Kohli and Rohit faced off in Duleep Trophy?
Kohli was yet to make his Test and T20I debut for India when he last played in the Duleep Trophy. The star batter was part of the North Zone team that faced the West Zone which also had Rohit in their ranks, in the semi-final of the 2010 Duleep Trophy tournament. It remains the only meeting between the two Team India superstars in the domestic tournament.
In the semi-final which was played in Rajkot, Wasim Jaffer-led West Zone defeated Kohli-led North Zone by an innings to enter the final. India’s current assistant coach Abhishek Nayar top-scored for West Zone in the game with a terrific knock of 259 runs while Rohit, who was a middle-order batter at the time, scored 63 runs while batting at no.5.
West Zone rode on Nayar’s double ton to post a mammoth total of 769 runs, batting first in the semi-final. In reply, North Zone were bundled out for 294 runs with skipper Kohli scoring 56 runs. In West Zone’s second innings in the semi-final, Rohit came all guns blazing and ended up smashing 116 runs off 129 balls to propel them to 345/7 in 89 overs.
While Kohli never played in the Duleep Trophy after the 2010 semi-final, Rohit’s last appearance in the tournament came in 2016 when he played for India Blue against India Red in Noida. Current India head coach Gambhir led India Blue in the game.
Rohit scored 30 off 57 balls in the first innings and followed it up with 32 off 75 balls while batting at no.3 in the second innings. Ravindra Jadeja’s fifer helped India Red register a dominant 355-run victory in the game against India Blue.
Virat Kohli came up against current India captain Rohit Sharma in his last appearance for the North Zone in the Duleep Trophy. Both Kohli and Rohit have been given the choice to take part in the upcoming Duleep Trophy 2024 ahead of India’s Test series against Bangladesh. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
