Washington in focus as South takes on North in Duleep Trophy semi-final
While South gained direct entry into the last-four stage based on its performance in the previous edition, North demolished North East Zone by 511 runs in the quarter-final phase.
Washington Sundar
BENGALURU: Washington Sundar will be keen to prove that he is in good shape for red-ball cricket when he takes to the field for South Zone in the Duleep Trophy semi-final against North Zone starting here on Wednesday.
While South gained direct entry into the last-four stage based on its performance in the previous edition, North demolished North East Zone by 511 runs in the quarter-final phase. The match will be vital for some of the current and future India hopefuls and Washington is the most notable among them.
The Tamil Nadu all-rounder has had multiple injury and fitness-related issues over the past six years, restricting his international appearances to only 55 matches – 4 Tests, 16 ODIs and 35 T20Is. His most recent injury was a hamstring tear, which he suffered while representing Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first half of the Indian Premier League 2023.
He then made a comeback in the Tamil Nadu Premier League 2023, where he turned out for Siechem Madurai Panthers. Come Wednesday, ‘Washy’, as he is fondly known in Indian cricket circles, will be eager to put his best foot forward in the four-day match.
Three national selectors are in Bengaluru (Salil Ankola is supposed to track the national team in the West Indies) for the semi-finals and will watch the off-spinning all-rounder’s performance and fitness with a lot of interest. The in-form B Sai Sudharsan is another player to watch out for in the South team.
In the other semi-final, redemption will be the central theme as a clutch of players from the West Zone, including Cheteshwar Pujara and Prithvi Shaw, enter the field against Central Zone.
For the crucial clash, West has named Pujara, who was recently dropped from the India Test team, Shaw, Suryakumar Yadav and Sarfaraz Khan in its squad.
