The five-day domestic fixture, which starts here on Sunday, is scheduled for a September 10 finish, and India will face Afghanistan in the first of the three T20Is in New Delhi on October 13.
Tilak Varma and Ishan Kishan admitted that it is “tough” to join India’s T20I squad for the three-match series against Afghanistan right after the Duleep Trophy final, but understood the need to adapt to the situation and as professional cricketers they can’t offer “excuses. I know it gets difficult when you are playing Test match and suddenly you have to go and start hitting from ball one (in white ball format) and then suddenly you have to go back to your domestic team and you have to play a whole different role,” Kishan, who is leading East Zone, said in the pre-match press conference. “It is just about knowing what format you are playing.
3, a position where batted in India ranks.
It will be slightly challenging,” he said. Tilak said the Karnataka left-hander will bat at No. Kishan, who is a part of India’s T20I squad, found a supporting voice in Tilak Varma, South Zone captain and India’s T20I vice-captain. “Yes, it will be slightly challenging…playing five days here (Duleep Trophy) and again joining the (India) team. From here we are going to Delhi, so, there will be like a two day break. We can practise there. It may be recalled that Tilak had openly manifested his desire to play in the Duleep Trophy final after winning the semifinal in Bengaluru. “But at the same time be aware and be just mindful of what is going to happen and I will be playing T20I after this. So, my job will be different. So, it will be more than enough I feel,” he added. “Yeah, it will be a big boost for us. The kind of form he (Padikkal) is in, it will be really helpful for us and he can share his experience with the players. We have got quite a few young guys on our side and it will be really helpful.
But still I feel we are getting two days of practice before the first game against Afghanistan.
“Padikkal will be batting at number 3 and his coming into the side will strengthen our batting line-up, especially with the kind of form we have seen from Padikkal in the last 2 or 3 games. Similarly, East Zone will have 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi to depend on to make an impact up the order. Whether it is U-19, Ranji Trophy or Duleep Trophy, he has so far played only 4-day games. Earlier reporting noted: Kishan and Tilak are set to lead East Zone and South Zone respectively in the Duleep Trophy final, which begins in Chennai on Sunday and runs until September 10.
I know it gets difficult when you are playing Test match and suddenly you have to go and start hitting from ball one (in white ball format) and then suddenly you have to go back to your domestic team and you have to play a whole different role,” Kishan said in the pre-match press conference. He has done really well. It will be a big boost for us. For the record, this will be Sooryavanshi’s first five-day game in representative career. Just three days later, India begin their three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in New Delhi, leaving the players with only a couple of days to recover, travel and prepare for a completely different format.
Earlier reporting noted: Kishan, who is also part of India’s T20I squad, acknowledged the difficulty of switching between formats and roles. Earlier reporting noted: “It is just about knowing what format you are playing.
