• Source:JND

South Zone captain Tilak Varma has confirmed that Devdutt Padikkal will bat at No. 3 when his team faces East Zone in the Duleep Trophy final on Sunday, September 6. Shaik Rasheed is expected to make way for Padikkal after managing scores of 0 and 1 in the semifinal against North Zone.

Padikkal recently made the most of his chance in the Indian Test team after Sai Sudharsan was ruled out due to injury. He impressed during the Test series against Sri Lanka and will now look to carry that form into the Duleep Trophy final.

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A strong performance in the final could help South Zone win the title for the first time since 2023. It could also strengthen Padikkal’s case for a longer run at No. 3 for India.

“His coming into the side will really strengthen our batting line-up. The kind of form we have seen from him in the last two or three games has been really great, so having him will be a big boost for us,” Tilak said while speaking at the pre-match press conference.

South Zone could also have Mohammed Siraj in their XI, with the experienced pacer likely to replace the injured Vidwath Kaverappa. Siraj will be keen to find his rhythm ahead of India’s upcoming tour of New Zealand.

“It will be a big boost for us with the kind of form Siraj and Padikkal are in. It will be really helpful. They can share their experience with the players since we have quite a few young players in the side,” Tilak said.

Tilak also explained the decision to open with Ricky Bhui. Bhui has opened in the past but has spent most of his recent cricket batting in the middle order.

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“Ricky Bhui has played as an opener before, but he has been playing in the middle-order for some time now. He is a senior player and he can adjust to the role; that is why we thought he could open with Jaggi,” Tilak added.

Earlier, PTI had reported that the selection committee wanted KL Rahul, Padikkal and Siraj to play in the Duleep Trophy final. However, Tilak confirmed on Saturday, September 5, that Rahul is not with the South Zone team in Chennai.


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