Uttar Pradesh batter Rinku Singh has been added to the India B squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy matches, starting on September 12 in Anantpur. This move follows the withdrawal of all Test players selected for the Bangladesh series, except for Sarfaraz Khan. Rinku’s inclusion comes after his unexpected omission from the first round of the tournament.
A number of prominent players, such as KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Kuldeep Yadav, Dhruv Jurel, and Akash Deep, are departing from India A to join the Test preparatory camp. They will be replaced by Pratham Singh, Akshay Wadkar, Shaik Rasheed, Shams Mulani, and Aaqib Khan. Mayank Agarwal will step in as India A captain, replacing Shubman Gill, and fast bowler Vidhwath Kaverappa will move from India A to India D.
India B will also be without Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, and Yash Dayal, whose spots will be filled by Suyash Prabhudessai, Himanshu Mantri, and Rinku Singh. Sarfaraz Khan, despite being part of the Test squad, will stay with India B for the second round of matches, which will conclude on September 15, just days before the Chennai Test begins.
India C remains unaffected by these changes, while India D will miss Axar Patel and Tushar Deshpande, who is recovering from injury. Vidhwath Kaverappa and Nishant Sindhu will join India D in the next round.
India’s Test squad will gather in Chennai for a preparatory camp on September 12, ahead of their two-match Test series against Bangladesh starting September 19.
In the first round of Duleep Trophy matches, India B triumphed over India A, with Musheer Khan’s 181 being the standout performance. Meanwhile, India C defeated India D, thanks to left-arm spinner Manav Suthar’s seven-wicket haul in the third innings.
