Ishan Kishan, Akash Deep to miss Duleep Trophy opener due to injury issues
East Zone will be without two key players - Ishan Kishan and Akash Deep - for their Duleep Trophy opener against North Zone.
Ishan Kishan and Akash Deep will miss East Zone's Duleep Trophy opener due to respective injury issues. While Kishan is yet to fully recover from a minor injury he suffered in the UK during his spell at Nottinghamshire, Deep has been advised to rest due to an unknown injury issue. Kishan has been replaced by Odisha's Aashirwad Swain in the squad.
As per ESPNcricinfo, Kishan needed multiple stitches after falling off an e-bike, and the freak injury prevented him from being considered as a replacement for the injured Rishabh Pant ahead of the fifth and final Test against England at The Oval. With Kishan ruled out as an option, Tamil Nadu's N Jagadeesan was sent in as the back-up to Dhruv Jurel.
It is understood that Kishan has been kept out as a precautionary measure, as he is likely to be part of the India A squad for the two four-day fixtures at home against Australia next month.
Kishan will undergo rehab and subsequently undergo a fitness assessment at BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. In his absence, Jharkhand's Kumar Kushagra is expected to be the first-choice wicketkeeper for East Zone.
Akash Deep also out of Duleep Trophy opener
Meanwhile, the East Zone will also miss the services of India fast bowler Akash Deep, who has been advised to take rest. The extent or nature of Akash's nature of niggle or injury is unknown. He will be assessed at a later date.
The Bihar pacer was on the recent Test tour to England, where he sat out the fourth Test in Manchester due to a back niggle. He returned for the series decider at the Oval, where he hit a maiden half-century while filling in the role of a nightwatchman in the second innings.
Overall, Akash enjoyed a fruitful outing in England - picking up 13 wickets in three Tests, including a match-winning ten-wicket haul in India's series-levelling win in the second Test at Birmingham. Assam's Mukhtar Hussain has replaced the right-arm fast bowler in the Abhimanyu Easwaran-led squad.
East Zone's opening fixture will be against Shubman Gill-led North Zone in the quarterfinal starting August 28. All matches will be played at the CoE, on the outskirts of Bengaluru.
Assam all-rounder Riyan Parag will serve as Easwaran's deputy. The Indian pace duo of Mohammed Shami and Mukesh Kumar are also part of the squad. Shami will make a rare appearance in the tournament after making just one first-class game in the last two years.
East Zone squad for Duleep Trophy clash against North Zone: Abhimanyu Easwaran (C), Aasirwad Swain (WK), Kumar Kushagra (wk), Sandeep Patnaik, Virat Singh, Denish Das, Sridam Paul, Sharandeep Singh, Riyan Parag (vice-captain), Utkarsh Singh, Manishi, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Mukhtar Hussain and Mohammed Shami