Akshay Wadkar added to Central Zone squad as Dhruv Jurel suffers from dengue

The Central Zone has made some changes to their squad ahead of their Duleep Trophy 2025 semi-final clash against West Zone, with Vidarbha skipper Akshay Wadkar drafted in as a replacement for the unwell Dhruv Jurel. Jurel, who was initially named captain of the team, has been sidelined after being diagnosed with dengue. The development has made way for Wadkar, who was controversially overlooked during selection despite guiding Vidarbha to their third Ranji Trophy title earlier this year.

Central Zone progressed to the next stage following a dominant first-innings win against North East Zone in the quarter-final at Bengaluru. However, the squad had to deal with two major changes ahead of the semi-final. While Jurel’s illness has forced the selectors to bring in Wadkar, ace spinner Kuldeep Yadav too has withdrawn from the tournament due to India’s Asia Cup 2025 commitments. As a result, pacer Yash Thakur has been named as his replacement, who was earlier on the list of standby players. Rajat Patidar, who played a captain’s knock in the quarter-final, will continue to lead the team.

“Yes, Wadkar has been included in Central Zone team since Jurel is suffering from dengue. He is not available for the next game and we needed one more stumper in the side,” Vidarbha and Cent zone head coach Usman Ghani said as quoted by Hitavada.

Wadkar has been asked to join: Source

Meanwhile, Wadkar scored 722 runs in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy season and captained Vidarbha to their third title, but was yet to be omitted from the Central Zone squad. Many had expected him to be a natural choice for the leadership role. However, with Jurel’s inclusion under the BCCI directive to give preference to Indian players, Wadkar had initially missed out. The 31-year-old has over 3,800 first-class runs at an average of nearly 49, with 11 centuries to his name. His addition strengthens an already Vidarbha-heavy Central Zone squad that includes the likes of Yash Rathod, Harsh Dubey, Danish Malewar, and Aditya Thakare.

“There is that BCCI diktat that asks the teams to give preference to India player if he is available. So, Dhruv Jurel had been included in the squad, and that meant Wadkar, even with his good showing, had to miss the bus. But since Jurel is injured and is not fit for the second match to be played against West Zone from Thursday, Wadkar has been asked to join the squad,” a source told.

Central Zone’s confidence going into the semi-final is set to be high after their clinical performance against North East Zone in the quarter-final. Batting first, they scored  532/4 declared, thanks to a double century from Danish Malewar (203) and a 125 from skipper Rajat Patidar. Yash Rathod also chipped in with an unbeaten 87. With the ball, Harsh Dubey and Aditya Thakare spearheaded the attack as the North East Zone were bowled out for 185 in the first innings. Despite the match ending in a draw, Central Zone advanced based on their massive first-innings lead.

Central Zone’s updated squad for Duleep Trophy 2025:

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. (Standbys: Madhav Kaushik, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Mahipal Lomror, Kuldeep Sen, Upendra Yadav)

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