July 20: Indian opener Ruturaj Gaikwad has been appointed captain of the West Zone team for the upcoming Dilip Trophy. Experienced left-arm spin all-rounder Shams Mulani will serve as vice-captain.
The team was announced following a meeting of the zonal selection committee on Monday. The Dilip Trophy tournament is scheduled to take place from August 23 to September 10 at the BCCI Center of Excellence grounds in Bengaluru.
Last year, Indian seam-bowling all-rounder Shardul Thakur led the West Zone team, which reached the semifinals but could not progress further, as the Central Zone gained a first-innings lead. Now, the responsibility of captaincy has been entrusted to Gaikwad for the upcoming tournament.
Ruturaj Gaikwad also captains the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL. Recently, he was part of the India ‘A’ team for the 50-over tri-series and red-ball matches against Sri Lanka ‘A’.
The West Zone squad includes two specialist wicketkeepers, Harvik Desai and Urvil Patel. Alongside Gaikwad, the team features Prithvi Shaw and the Khan brothers, Sarfaraz and Mushir. They are joined by Jaymeet Patel and Shivalik Sharma, strengthening the batting lineup.
Spin bowling duties will be handled by vice-captain Mulani, off-spin all-rounder Tanush Kotiyan, and left-arm spinner Siddharth Desai. The pace attack will include Thakur, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Choudhary, and all-rounder Aatith Seth.
Additionally, selectors have released a standby list of six players, which includes Jai Gohil, Arya Desai, Arshin Kulkarni, Mahesh Pithia, Vishal Jaiswal, and Rajvardhan Hangargekar.
West Zone Team: Ruturaj Gaikwad (Captain), Shams Mulani (Vice-Captain), Harvik Desai (Wicketkeeper), Urvil Patel (Wicketkeeper), Jaymeet Patel, Prithvi Shaw, Shivalik Sharma, Siddharth Desai, Sarfaraz Khan, Mushir Khan, Aatith Seth, Mukesh Choudhary, Tanush Kotiyan, Shardul Thakur, and Tushar Deshpande.
Reserve Players: Jai Gohil, Arya Desai, Arshin Kulkarni, Mahesh Pithia, Vishal Jaiswal, and Rajvardhan Hangargekar.