Deodhar Trophy: Tournament favorite South Zone appears to be like to open marketing campaign on a excessive towards North Zone

After a four-year break, the Deodhar Trophy – final held in 2019-20- returns to the Indian cricketing calendar, with the match set to kick off on Monday right here on the Cricket Association of Pondicherry grounds.

Like the Duleep Trophy, the one-day match reverts to a zonal format, with the six groups enjoying one another as soon as in a round-robin format on alternate days beginning Monday earlier than the highest two combat for the title on August 3.

At a time when one-day cricket is combating for relevance, this version of the Deodhar Trophy may need a small function contemplating it’s a World Cup yr.

Though it’s understood that the selectors have shortlisted 20 gamers for the celebrated occasion, the match presents gamers within the fringes beneath to point out what they’ll do and make a last-minute impression in case a spot is offered nearer to the occasion.

With the Vijay Hazare Trophy set to be held solely after the World Cup, the subsequent two weeks might turn into essential for gamers and the selectors to finalise backup choices.

Some of the gamers to be careful for embody the likes of pacer Shivam Mavi, all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, and Washington Sundar, who was a part of the one-day set-up as not too long ago because the three-match collection towards Australia earlier this yr.

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“If a player can have an extraordinary tournament, you never know, an opportunity to play in the World Cup is looming ahead or even long-term get into the one-day squad,” mentioned Central Zone skipper Venkatesh.

As for the match, most groups are evenly matched with gamers who’ve carried out effectively in final yr’s Vijay Hazare match and the IPL, discovering a spot of their respective zonal squads.

The Mayank Agarwal-led South Zone facet – which gained the Duleep Trophy final week – and West Zone will begin the match as favourites with some pedigreed gamers of their line-up.

However, the groups had solely sooner or later of correct follow after persistent drizzle on Sunday pressured gamers to the indoor nets, the place the batters took some throwdowns, and some spinners rolled their arms over.

Monday’s matches: West Zone vs North East Zone, CAP Ground 2 (9 a.m.); East Zone vs Central Zone, CAP Ground 3 (9 a.m.); *North Zone vs South Zone (1.30 p.m.), Siechem Stadium.