After the white-ball tour of Sri Lanka, Indian cricketers are enjoying a rare time off from the game. India’s next assignment is the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, slated to start on September 19 in Chennai.
Ahead of the Bangladesh series, India’s leading cricketers will take part in the first round of Duleep Trophy matches to fine-tune their preparations for the red-ball challenge.
The domestic first-class tournament, featuring four teams, is set to begin from September 5 in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh and Bengaluru.
With three days to go for the Duleep Trophy, Rishabh Pant and Shubman Gill have hit the nets. The duo uploaded videos of their practice session on social media.
The upcoming will mark Pant’s return to red-ball cricket for the first time since December 2022. The wicketkeeper-batter has made a successful comeback to white-ball formats after recovering from the horrific car accident, but he is yet to test his skills in the longest format.
Rishabh Pant seemed to be excited for the challenge as he was seen sweating it out in the nets against the fast bowlers and spinners.
“I try not to have expectations because they can tend to tear you apart. I try to work as hard as I possibly can and give every ounce of a hundred percent & keep Learning from it,” Pant captioned the video.
On the other hand, Gill batted in his home ground at Mohali, where he practiced a wide range of strokes against the local bowlers.
“The most effective way to do it, is to do it,” Shubman wrote in the caption.
Rishabh Pant will play for India B in the Duleep Trophy under the captaincy of Abhimanyu Easwaran, while Shubman Gill has been named the captain of the India A side.
Besides, international players such as KL Rahul, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan among others will also feature in the domestic competition.
