Rajat Patidar named Central Zone captain for Duleep Trophy

India batter Rajat Patidar will lead the defending champion Central Zone squad in the upcoming Duleep Trophy domestic first-class tournament, with fellow international Rinku Singh appointed as vice-captain. The tournament is scheduled to run from August 23 to September 10 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

The squad announcement confirms Patidar's retention as captain after he led Central Zone to its seventh title last season, where he was also the tournament's leading run-scorer. The 15-member squad features a blend of experienced performers and emerging talent, including wicket-keepers Aryan Juyal and Kunal Singh Rathod, batsmen Aman Mokhade, Kunal Chandela, and Ayush Pandey, and bowlers Yash Thakur, Arshad Khan, and left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey.

A notable inclusion is off-spinning all-rounder Saransh Jain, who recently received his maiden call-up to the India Test squad for a two-match series in Sri Lanka. Jain's participation in the Duleep Trophy is uncertain, as he is expected to miss at least the initial part of the tournament due to his national team commitments. The second Test in Colombo is scheduled to conclude on August 27, while Central Zone, having...