With less than 24 hours left for the first round of Duleep Trophy matches, India D batter Ishan Kishan has opted out of the opening round of the tournament. The reason behind this sudden move is not confirmed but according to an ESPNCricinfo report, Ishan's pullout has to do with an injury he's picked up, probably a hamstring. Although the BCCI hasn't informed anything publicly, Ishan is pretty much expected to miss the first round. India D, captained by Shreyas Iyer take on India C, led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, in Anantapur starting Thursday, and with Ishan being a doubtful starter, Cricbuzz has reported that Sanju Samson, who wasn't part of any of the four squads, is likely to be drafted in.

Ishan was expected to be one of the most sought-after players participating in the Duleep Trophy. Plenty of eyeballs were on him as the rejigged format offers an opportunity for players to make a push for themselves in India's Test squad for the series against Bangladesh, which is expected to be announced next week.

After being stripped off the BCCI's Central Contracts list on disciplinary ground, Ishan turned up to play for Jharkhand in the Buchi Babu tournament. Although recognised as a premier red-ball competition, Ishan's recent setback is spanner in the works as the 26-year-old was eyeing a move back up in Team India's scheme of things by participating in the Duleep Trophy. Whether he will be ready for the next two matches is unknown at the moment, but if he doesn't, his Team India comeback could get delayed by another couple of months if not more.

Growing list of injury concerns

In other news, Prasidh Krishna's tryst with injury seems to be never-ending as the India quick is yet to recover from his rehab at the NCA. Prasidh, who last played for India in South Africa at the start of the year, has been out of action due to a quadriceps injury. However, he stands a better chance than Ishan to play the remaining two matches.

Ishan and Prasidh's respective conditions add to a growing list of India's injury concerns in the tournament. Last week, Mohammed Siraj and Umran Malik were taken off due to illness, whereas Ravindra Jadeja was mysteriously released. And just two days ago, Suryakumar Yadav, who was eyeing a place back in India's Test squad, was ruled out of the first-round match due to a finger injury he sustained while fielding for Mumbai during the Buchi Babu tournament.

Yet, the pullouts have not dampened the star power that will be in action from September 5 as the likes of Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Iyer, Rishabh Pant and Yashasvi Jaiswal begin preparations for India's long Test season ahead.

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