Ignored by national selectors, Ruturaj Gaikwad appointed captain of West Zone

Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead the West Zone cricket team in the Duleep Trophy, starting August 23. The former India A captain will captain the team that includes the likes of Shardul Thakur, Prithvi Shaw, Shams Mulani, Sarfaraz Khan, Tanush Kotian and Tushar Deshpande among others. Ruturaj is vying for a place in the ODI team. The right-handed batter made his return to the national team for the home series against South Africa in 2025. After managing eight runs in the series opener, Ruturaj slammed a century in the second ODI.

The opening batter didn't get a chance to bat in the third ODI. He was dropped from the squad for the New Zealand series as captain Shubman Gill and vice-captain Shreyas Iyer made their return.

Ruturaj was also ignored for a place in the India A team for the tri-series against Sri Lanka A and Afghanistan A. He was only added to the team after Riyan Parag was ruled out due to an injury. He isn't part of the national team now.

Ruturaj is uncapped in Test cricket. He earned his maiden red-ball call-up for the away series against West Indies in 2023. He didn't get to make his debut there and was dropped from the Test team after the series.

Prithvi Shaw, Sarfaraz Khan selected

Prithvi Shaw has been named in the West Zone team. Shaw, who joined the Maharashtra cricket team before the 2025-26 season, scored 537 runs in 11 innings across seven matches. His tally includes one century and three half-centuries. Shaw remained on the bench for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026.

The Duleep Trophy will be an opportunity for Sarfaraz to score ample runs and make his India comeback. He was dropped from the Test team after the 2024-24 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He isn't part of the India A squad either.

West Zone will face North Zone in the quarter-final of the tournament from August 23 to 26 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. The final will start at September 6.

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