India’s Ruturaj Gaikwad has been named captain of the West Zone team for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, with Shams Mulani appointed as vice-captain. The squad announcement came after a meeting of the zonal selection committee. The tournament is scheduled to take place from August 23 to September 10 in Bengaluru.
Last year, Shardul Thakur led West Zone to the semi-finals of the Duleep Trophy. However, they missed out on the final. This year, the captaincy responsibility has been passed on to Gaikwad, who also captains Chennai Super Kings in the IPL and recently represented India ‘A’ in matches against Sri Lanka ‘A’.
The West Zone team boasts two specialist wicket-keepers, Harvik Desai and Urvil Patel, providing depth in that position. Alongside Gaikwad, the squad includes Prithvi Shaw, Sarfaraz Khan, Musheer Khan, Jaymeet Patel, and Shivalik Sharma, forming a strong batting lineup.
Spin bowling will be led by vice-captain Mulani, Tanush Kotian, and Siddharth Desai. The pace attack features Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Chaudhary, and Atit Sheth. Additionally, a standby list comprising Jay Gohil, Aarya Desai, Arshin Kulkarni, Mahesh Pithiya, Vishal Jayswal, and Rajvardhan Hangargekar has been named.
