Selectors concerned about Pant, Iyer, and Jaiswal's performance in round one audition for BAN Tests; Axar Patel shines

The BCCI's selection committee is closely monitoring the events taking place in Anantapur and Bengaluru as the first round of the 2024 Duleep Trophy kicks off on Thursday. The majority of India's regular players are participating in the tournament as per the BCCI's instructions for centrally-contracted players. The selectors had previously indicated that the Duleep Trophy would play a crucial role in determining India's 15-member Test squad for the upcoming two-match series against Bangladesh. However, while many of the aspiring Test players had a disappointing start to the audition process, a few individuals managed to make a strong impression on Day 1 with their outstanding performances.

Musheer Khan and Axar Patel were the only exceptions on an otherwise disappointing show for the batters at both venues. For India B, in Bengaluru, Jaiswal, who is almost certain to open with India captain Rohit Sharma in the Test series against Bangladesh, smashed six boundaries in his 59-ball 30 to make a promising start against India A, before falling to left-arm quick Khaleel Ahmed, who did trouble him through the early hour of the match.

Following the dismissal, the rest of the line-up crumbled around Musheer to go seven down for 94 runs in 43.5 overs, which included the dismissals of Sarfaraz Khan for nine off 35, Pant for seven off 10 and Washington Sundar for a 13-ball duck.

In Anantapur, India D captain Shreyas Iyer, aiming for a comeback to the Indian middle-order line-up since being dropped from the Test team midway through the England home series in February this year, failed to impress after scoring only a 16-ball nine, while Devdutt Padikkal, who scored an impressive fifty on his Test debut against England in Dharamsala, was dismissed for a four-ball duck. On the other hand, KS Bharat, who fell out of reckoning in the Indian team after failing to score a fifty on any of his seven appearances, managed only a 42-ball 13.

For India C, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, who twice came close to making an India debut last year, was undone by Harshit Rana for five runs, and so was Sai Sudharsan, for whom an ill-timed injury denied him a debut ahead of Padikkal, for seven off 16.

The day belonged to Axar, who left a strong impression with a sensational all-round show, which included a fiery knock of 86 that revived India D from 34 for five to 164 all out, two wickets and a catch off his own bowling.

Akash, who had been down with dengue fever for three weeks and lacked match practice since June, was spot-on with his line and lengths. On a grassy track in Bengaluru, the India A pacer, who made a Test debut against England in Ranchi, troubled Jaiswal in the opening session of the match by getting the ball to move around, albeit in vain. His best delivery was the one that left Nitish Reddy gobsmacked after the length ball just nibbled away to hit the top of off. The batter didn't do anything wrong and played the right line, but was undone by the late movement on the ball.