Duleep Trophy final: Jagadeesan, Padikkal blow for South Zone, replacements named

South Zone will be without the services of Jagadeesan and Devdutt Padikkal for the Duleep Trophy final against Central Zone

South Zone have been dealt with a blow as star performer in the semi-final Narayan Jagadeesan will not be a part of the team for the Duleep Trophy final. The Tamil Nadu batter scored a combined 249 runs in the semi-final 1 against North Zone. South Zone, led by Kerala’s Mohammed Azharuddeen in the absence of Tilak Varma, qualified for the final by the virtue of taking a 1st innings lead against a depleted North Zone.

No Jagadeesan, Padikkal for Duleep Trophy final

As per Cricbuzz, Jagadeesan and Devdutt Padikkal will not be part of the South Zone team for the Duleep Trophy final which will begin on September 11. Both batters have been named in India A’s squad for the two multi-day games against Australia A that will start from September 16. Tamil Nadu’s Andre Siddharth and Karnataka’s Smaran Ravichandran have been named replacements. Ajay Rohera and Aniket Reddy have been named stand-by players

South Zone will dearly miss the services of their vice-captain Jagadeesan. He was the Player of the Match in the semi-final against North Zone. The Tamil Nadu batter narrowly missed out on a well-deserved double century in the 1st innings as he was dismissed for 197 runs. He stayed unbeaten on 52 runs in the 2nd innings.

Padikkal, on the other hand, scored a 57-run knock in the 1st innings. In the 2nd, he could only manage to score 16 runs before he was sent packing. While Jagadeesan is yet to make his Test debut and was named reserve keeper for the IND vs ENG 5th Test, Padikkal is in the running for a spot in the side, having already made his Test debut last year.

South Zone squad

Azharuddin (Captain & Wicketkeeper), Ricky Bhui (Vice-Captain), Smaran Ravichandran, Kale M, Sheikh Rasheed, Tanmay Agarwal, Salman Nizar, Andrew Siddarth, Tanay Thyagarajan, Gurjabneet Singh, Nidheesh, Kaushik V, Ankit Sharma, T Vijay, Basil NP

Stand-bys: Mohit Redkar (Goa), Snehal Kautankar (Goa), Eden Apple Tom (Kerala), Ajay Rohera (Pondicherry), G Anikeeth Reddy (Hyderabad)