Ishan Kishan out of Duleep Trophy opener; Akash Deep rested, Abhimanyu Easwaran named captain

Ishan Kishan ruled out of Duleep Trophy opener. (PTI Photo)

Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan will not play in East Zone's Duleep Trophy opener since he is still recovering from a minor injury he suffered while playing for Nottinghamshire in the UK. According to ESPNCricinfo, Kishan has been replaced in the East Zone's roster for the match beginning on August 28 by Aashirwad Swain of Odisha.

Kishan could not replace Rishabh Pant before the fifth and final Test match against England at The Oval due to injury. The star batsman was sidelined with a foot injury that required several stitches. Narayan Jagadeesan of Tamil Nadu eventually took Dhruv Jurel's place as a backup.

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Although Kishan's injury is not serious, his absence from East Zone's campaign opening is a cautious move since he may be considered for the India A team's two four-day home games against Australia next month.

At the Centre of Excellence (CoE) of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in Bengaluru, Kishan will continue his recuperation and evaluation. He might be replaced as a first-choice wicketkeeper by Kumar Kushagra.

Additionally, pacer Akash Deep will not be available to the East Zone as he has been advised to take a break. It is presently uncertain whether he has a niggle or injury, if any, and an evaluation will be conducted later.

He took 13 wickets in three Tests on the recent tour of England, including a ten-fer in Birmingham, and hit a valuable half-century in the last Test at The Oval. However, he missed the fourth Test because of a back niggle. He has been replaced in the Abhimanyu Easwaran-led team by Mukhtar Hussain of Assam.

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At CoE, East Zone will begin their campaign against North Zone, who is led by Shubman Gill. Easwaran's deputy will be Riyan Parag. Mukesh Kumar and Mohammed Shami, who has only participated in one first-class match in the previous two years, are also included in the squad.

East Zone squad for Duleep Trophy opener: Abhimanyu Easwaran (capt), Aasirwad Swain (wk), Sandeep Patnaik, Virat Singh, Denish Das, Sridam Paul, Sharandeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Riyan Parag (vice-captain), Utkarsh Singh, Manishi, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Mukhtar Hussain and Mohammed Shami