After a four-year break, the Deodhar Trophy returns to the Indian cricketing calendar, with the tournament set to kick off on Monday here at the Cricket Association of Pondicherry grounds.
Like the Duleep Trophy, the one-day tournament reverts to a zonal format, with the six teams playing each other once in a round-robin format on alternate days before the top two fight for the title on August 3.
At a time when one-day cricket is fighting for relevance, this edition of the Deodhar Trophy might have a small purpose considering it is an ODI World Cup year.
Though it is understood that the selectors have already shortlisted 20 players for the prestigious event, the tournament offers fringe players to show what they can do and make a last-minute impression in case a spot opens up closer to the event.
With the Vijay Hazare Trophy set to be held only after the World Cup, the next two weeks could become crucial for players and the selectors to finalise backup options.
Some of the players to watch out for include the likes of pacer Shivam Mavi, all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, and Washington Sundar, who was part of the one-day set-up as recently as the three-match series against Australia earlier this year.
Opportunity
“If a player can have an extraordinary tournament, you never know, an opportunity to play in the World Cup is looming ahead or even a long-term spot in the one-day squad,” said Central Zone skipper Venkatesh.
Most teams in the tournament are evenly matched with players who have done well in last year’s Vijay Hazare tournament and the IPL finding a place in their respective zonal squads.
The Mayank Agarwal-led South Zone side – which won the Duleep Trophy last week – and West Zone will start the tournament as favourites with some pedigreed players in their line-up.
However, the teams had only one day of proper practice after persistent drizzle on Sunday forced players to the indoor nets where the batters could take some throwdowns and a few spinners rolling their arms over.
Monday’s matches:
West Zone vs North East Zone, CAP Ground 2 (9 a.m.); East Zone vs Central Zone, CAP Ground 3 (9 a.m.); North Zone vs South Zone (1.30 p.m.), Siechem Stadium (live on www.bcci.tv).
