Hardik Pandya will be among the players in focus in the knockout stage of the Vijay Hazare Trophy in Vadodara.
| Photo Credit: File photo: K. MURALI KUMAR
One of the issues that has cropped up in Indian cricket in recent times has been the lack of participation from the top stars in domestic cricket.
But come Thursday, when the knockout stage of the Vijay Hazare Trophy begins here, some of the top Indian stars will show up for their respective teams.
It is understood that the selectors have asked that the national team players who were in Australia must play in the 50-over competition if their teams have qualified.
Abhimanyu Easwaran has joined the Bengal camp ahead of his side’s pre-quarterfinal match against defending champions Haryana on Thursday. In the other pre-quarterfinal, Tamil Nadu will face Rajasthan.
Prasidh Krishna, Devdutt Padikkal (both Karnataka), and Shubman Gill (Punjab) are also expected to play in their team’s respective quarterfinal matches on Saturday.
Globally, the one-day format is fighting for relevance sandwiched between T20 and Test cricket. Considering that the one-dayers (VHT) is also being held after the IPL auction, the event doesn’t have a lot of stake for the players.
However, with the focus on the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy next month and the presence of stars, the domestic tournament should get some much-needed limelight.
Though India’s one-day set-up is largely set, the selectors have a final chance to see the likes of all-rounder Hardik Pandya (Baroda), Mohammed Shami (Bengal) and Arshdeep Singh (Punjab).
Shami, who impressed in the 2023 ODI World Cup at home, is on a recovery path following his heel surgery. After playing all the games in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament, the Bengal pacer has featured in only two outings in this competition, bowling eight overs each.
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep, a regular in T20Is, played in five of the six ODIs India has played since the ‘23 World Cup and will aim to become a regular in this format. He currently leads the wickets charts after the group stages with 17 scalps.
Similarly, Hardik, who opted out from the one-day series in Sri Lanka last year, opened the bowling attack for his side in the three games he played in the league stages as he looks to reclaim his place in the one-day set-up.
Meanwhile, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Vidarbha, and Baroda sealed their berths in the quarterfinals, having topped their respective groups. Punjab, by being the best second-placed team across five groups, also got a direct berth in the last eight.
The schedule: Jan. 9: PQF 1: Haryana vs Bengal, PQF2: Rajasthan vs Tamil Nadu; Quarterfinals: Jan. 11: Vidarbha vs Punjab, Karnataka vs Baroda; Jan. 12: Gujarat vs winner of PQF 1; Maharashtra vs winner of PQF 2; Semifinals: Jan. 15: Winner of QF 1 vs QF 4; Jan. 16: Winner of QF 2 vs QF 3; Final: Jan. 18.
Published – January 08, 2025 06:31 pm IST
