Duleep Trophy: India’s next Test stars await their big break as domestic season begins

BENGALURU: India's cricket talent is unmistakable across formats, and breaking into the national team is arduous, but not impossible. The domestic circuit gives players a platform to make a case for promotion. Saransh Jain, Manav Suthar, Auqib Nabi and Sarfaraz Khan, who are in Sri Lanka for the ongoing Test series, are proof that selectors delay but don’t deny consistent domestic performers.

Among them, Sarfaraz and Nabi stand out. They forced the Indian door open with top-notch performances. Sarfaraz, the Mumbai batter, scored 1538 runs across two Ranji seasons (2021-23) before making his Test debut in 2024. Nabi earned his maiden call-up for the Lanka tour after scalping 104 wickets in the last two red-ball seasons for Jammu and Kashmir.


Domestic players can draw inspiration from such journeys as they head into the Duleep Trophy, the curtain-raiser for the domestic season, at the BCCI Centre of Excellence on the outskirts of the city, beginning Sunday. The timing is significant, with the Indian team, which won four and lost five Tests last year, in a transitional phase. Ravindra Jadeja, 37, is in the twilight of his career, while KL Rahul, Axar Patel, Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah are above 32. The door, therefore, could gradually open for a new crop to stake its claim for the near future.

While talking about the future of Indian cricket, it is impossible to start a conversation without 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. The Bihar boy has already made his T20 debut after a stunning IPL 2026 season. But there have been questions about whether the big-hitting 15-year-old has the patience and composure to play in the longer format. His 207 runs in eight first-class matches do not justify his skillset. At this juncture, the upcoming domestic seasons in red-ball cricket assume greater significance.

Karnataka's R Smaran,23, the highest-run scorer in the Ranji Trophy last season with 950 runs, has also put his hat in the ring. The southpaw, who will turn up for South Zone, also scored 517 runs in the 24-25 season. Alongside Smaran, Vidarbha's left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey -- 83 wickets in his last two Ranji seasons-- and other contenders need to come up with solid seasons to even come up for discussions in the selectors' meeting for future Test series. After the Lanka Tests, India have two tricky New Zealand Tests (away, Nov), followed by tough five matches against Australia (home, Jan-Feb).

Youngsters like Andhra batter SK Rasheed, 21, who have already played for India A, are making their presence felt. In the last two Ranji seasons, he has amassed 627 runs each. Against that backdrop, the Duleep Trophy, which begins with two quarterfinals (East Zone vs Northeast Zone; North Zone vs West Zone), will be an ideal stage for players to get some red-ball game time before the Ranji Trophy takes flight this Oct.

For experienced players like Mohammed Shami, 35, Karun Nair, 34, and others eyeing a comeback, only top displays can remind the selectors of their hunger.

Quarterfinals line up: East Zone vs NorthEast; North vs West.