Domestic Cricket Season
The South Zone and West Zone players will look to bridge the gap between the common goal of a title win and their personal targets when they lock horns in the Duleep Trophy final beginning at the Chinnaswamy on Wednesday.
The Duleep Trophy, too, is one of the most important domestic competitions that serves as a tool for certain individuals to make a comeback in the national team while for others to be in the fray.
Cheteshwar Pujara would certainly want to make the best use of this final.
The senior India batter was dropped from the national squad for the West Indies Tests. The omission certainly left him disappointed.
But the Saurashtra star did not confine himself to a dark corner. He flew to Bangalore and made a solid 133 for West Zone in the second innings of the semi-final against Central Zone, leading his side's entry into the title clash.
For sure Pujara will be eyeing another big innings in the final. That willingness to grind shown by a man, who has played 103 Tests and scored over 7,000 runs, will work as a pathway for many others from both the teams.
South Zone captain Hanuma Vihari and his teammate Washington Sundar too need a serious effort to be back in the national selectors' reckoning.
Vihari last appeared for India last year during the Birmingham Test against England, while Washington's last India appearance was against Sri Lanka in the white-ball series earlier this year.
At present, they would like to dish out an impact performance in this final, which could well brighten their India prospects.
Written with PTI inputs
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