East Zone captain Ishan Kishan addresses the media ahead of the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai on Saturday, September 5, 2026.
| Photo Credit: R. RAGU
Even as Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma get ready to lead their sides in the Duleep Trophy final, the duo, alongside Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, will have an added challenge of a short turnaround time before they join the Men in Blue for a three-match T20I series against Afghanistan.
The T20 series starts on September 13 in New Delhi, leaving the trio only two days to switch formats. The skippers admitted that while it will be a challenge, they are prepared for it.
“Sometimes it gets difficult when you are playing a Test match, and suddenly you have to go and start hitting from ball one, and then you have to go back to your domestic team and play a whole different role,” said Kishan here on Saturday.
“At the same time, I feel, as professionals, it’s our job to adapt. We cannot be coming up with excuses after knowing this is like your routine for the next few days.”
South Zone captain Tilak Varma addresses the media ahead of the Duleep Trophy final against South Zone at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai on Saturday, September 5, 2026.
| Photo Credit:
R. RAGU
Meanwhile, Tilak added that the players are experienced enough to handle these scheduling quirks.
“We have played enough domestic games; we have played in every condition so that we can adjust to the conditions. We know how to change our mindsets and maintain our bodies with good fluids and everything.
“We have played back-to-back games before in the domestic as well as international [circuits], so we are quite used to it,” Tilak remarked.
Published – September 05, 2026 06:52 pm IST
