The tournament, which will kick off the Indian domestic season on September 5, will be played in Bengaluru and Anantapur. The format has changed from a regional approach to four teams – India A, India B, India C and India D – selected by the BCCI selection committee headed by Ajit Agarkar.
“India has played 249 international matches in the last five years. Rohit has played only 59% of them. Virat has played 61% and Bhuma has played 34%. I think they are well-rested Indian players. They could have won the Duleep Trophy,” Manjirekha said on ‘X’.
The BCCI announced on Tuesday that Ravindra Jadeja has been ruled out of the squad without giving any reason. Mohammed Siraj and Umran Malik are also out as they are recovering from recent illnesses, with Navdeep Saini and Gaurav Yadav named as replacements.
The Dooley Trophy will be instrumental in identifying key players and testing their readiness for India’s tight Test schedule, with qualification for the World Test Championship final at stake.
India’s home season begins with a two-match Test series against Bangladesh in Chennai on September 19, followed by the second match in Kanpur on September 27.
Following this series, India will play three Test matches against New Zealand in Bengaluru, Pune and Mumbai. After that, the team will travel to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which begins in Perth on November 22.
