Cheteshwar Pujara, who was dropped from the Indian Test squad for the West Indies tour, is set to make a comeback in domestic cricket. He has been included in the West Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy. Pujara’s exclusion from the national team came after his disappointing performances in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the World Test Championship Final against Australia.
Along with Pujara, other players like Suryakumar Yadav, Sarfaraz Khan, Priyank Panchal, and Prithvi Shaw have also been added to the West Zone squad. Despite being in contention for the West Indies tour, these players failed to make the cut.
Priyank Panchal, the opener from Gujarat, will lead the West Zone side, consisting of players from Mumbai, Maharashtra, Baroda, Gujarat, and Saurashtra.
After the Duleep Trophy, Pujara will head back to England to participate in the County Championship for Sussex. Fans and former cricketers have expressed their dissatisfaction with Pujara’s exclusion from the Test squad. As defending champions, the West Zone team will begin their campaign on July 5th in the Duleep Trophy’s first semi-final against the winner of the Central Zone and East Zone match.
West Zone squad for Duleep Trophy 2023:
Priyank Panchal (C), Harvik Desai (WK), Cheteshwar Pujara, Suryakumar Yadav, Yuvrajsinh Dodiya, Chintan Gaja, Dharmendrasinh Jadeja, Sarfaraz Khan, Shams Mulani, Arzan Nagwaswalla, Het Patel, Chetan Sakariya, Prithvi Shaw, Atit Sheth, Arpit Vasavada
