Central Zone suffers a major setback in the knockout stages of the Duleep Trophy 2025, as their skipper, Dhruv Jurel, has been ruled out of the semi-final against West Zone due to dengue.
Jurel had already missed the quarter-final due to a groin injury and was expected to return for the semi-final. However, recent developments have confirmed that the wicketkeeper-batter will miss the crucial clash as he recovers from illness.
Wadkar Named Replacement, Patidar to Lead Central Zone
Central Zone head coach Usman Ghani confirmed Jurel’s unavailability, revealing that he is suffering from dengue. Vidarbha captain Akshay Wadkar has been named as his replacement.
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Rajat Patidar, who led Central Zone during the quarter-final, will continue as captain in the semi-final.
“Yes, Wadkar has been included in the Central Zone team since Jurel is suffering from dengue. He is not available for the next game, and we need one more stumper in the side,” said Usman Ghani.
Jurel was last seen during the 5th Test against England in the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy, where he stepped in for Rishabh Pant. He made a vital contribution with the bat and pulled off some game-changing catches behind the stumps.. Although Pant remains India’s first-choice wicketkeeper, Jurel featured in three matches during the series due to Pant’s injury.
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Following his impressive tour, Jurel was appointed Central Zone captain. However, he has now been sidelined due to back-to-back setbacks — first a groin injury, and now dengue.
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Central Zone updated squad
Rajat Patidar (C), Akshay Wadkar, Aryan Juyal, Danish Malewar, Sanjeet Desai, Yash Thakur, Aditya Thakare, Deepak Chahar, Saransh Jain, Ayush Pandey, Shubham Sharma, Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed
Reserves: Madhav Kaushik, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Mahipal Lomror, Kuldeep Sen, Upendra Yadav
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