Duleep Trophy Still Has Its Sheen

Gill’s India Blue takes on Fazal’s India Green in the opener

- N. Sudarshan

The Duleep Trophy no longer boasts of a distinct identity, stripped as it was three years ago of its regional zone-wise format and replaced with a tournament which distributed the country’s best players into three different sides. Even the experiment with the pink ball to give players a taste of ‘day-night Tests’ has now been shelved.

But a performance in the event still carries a certain heft. As former Delhi cricketer and coach Bhaskar Pillai said on the eve of this year’s opener between his side India Blue and India Green at the Just Cricket Ground near here, “it is only one step away from a national call.”

That the 2019-20 edition will be ushering in the domestic season gives it a different dimension.

Season-openers can rarely be seen in isolation as big performances by players right at the start can potentially have far reaching consequences.