Tilak says he wants to play in the Duleep Trophy final

South Zone skipper Tilak Varma expressed hope that he would be able to play the Duleep Trophy final against East Zone in Chennai starting this Sunday despite the short turnaround time between the marquee contest and the first T20I versus Afghanistan.

Tilak, who is India’s T20 vice-captain, will have to finish the final on September 10 and travel to Delhi for the international game scheduled for the 13th. East skipper Ishan Kishan and his deputy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi are also in the same boat.

“I want to play the final,” Tilak told reporters on Wednesday after the triumph over North Zone. “We have two days break in between. But it depends on the selectors and the management.”

Tilak hoped that speedster Vidwath Kaverappa, who didn’t take the field starting from the post-tea session on day three (Tuesday), will be available.

“His [left] ankle is slightly swollen, but he can walk and he is also running with a tape. I feel he will be there in the final. But let’s see.”

Karnataka stalwart Karun Nair, who scored 699 runs in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy, was benched for the semifinal to accommodate Hyderabad’s K. Himateja. Tilak said it was purely because of team combination.

“North had two left-arm spinners, and we wanted a lefty in the middle-order. Himateja is a youngster (24) and has scored decent runs (485). It was very unfortunate for Karun.”