The format of the Duleep Trophy was changed this season moving it from zonal teams with the senior selection committee led by Ajit Agarkar picking four teams - India A, India B, India C and India D. A lot of Test hopefuls and the players looking to make a comeback are featuring in the tournament this time. But their performances are clearly below par with the likes of Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer and Ruturaj Gaikwad among others not being consistent.
The third round of matches are currently in progress, and for India C, Gaikwad, Rajat Patidar and Ishan Kishan have failed with the bat. While Gaikwad mustered 17 runs, Patidar bagged a duck and Kishan could only score five runs after notching up a ton in the previous encounter on his comeback to red-ball cricket.
Shreyas Iyer, the captain of India D, also bagged a duck on the opening day in good batting conditions. Three out of the aforementioned four batters have played for India in Tests and are looking to make a comeback. While Kishan had pulled out for personal reasons during the South Africa tour, Iyer and Patidar have been dropped during and after the England series at home respectively.
Gaikwad is the only player in this list to not have got a chance in Tests but even hasn't notched up big scores mustering 188 runs in five innings. To make it to the Indian team, a player has to score a truckload of runs in domestic cricket like Sarfaraz Khan and Mayank Agarwal did to make their Test debut.
Here's how India's Test hopefuls have fared in the Duleep Trophy so far (most recent first):
Ishan Kishan - 5, 1, 111
Shreyas Iyer - 9, 54, 0, 41, 0
Rajat Patidar - 13, 44, 40, 42, 0
Ruturaj Gaikwad - 5, 46, 58, 62, 17
