Odisha Wicketkeeper Aashirwad Swain Steps Up for Duleep Trophy

Ishan Kishan, the newly appointed captain of the East Zone cricket team, has been ruled out of the 2025 Duleep Trophy due to injury. The tournament is set to commence on August 28, 2025, in Bengaluru. In his absence, 20-year-old wicketkeeper Aashirwad Swain from Odisha has been selected to replace him.

The announcement was made by the Odisha Cricket Association, which confirmed Swain’s inclusion in the East Zone squad through a post on social media platform X. The association stated, “Odisha’s wicketkeeper-batter Aashirwad Swain has been selected for the East Zone squad in the Duleep Trophy, replacing Ishan Kishan! He joins Sandeep Pattnaik in the squad, while Swastik Samal has been named as standby.”

Kishan, aged 27, has represented India in two Tests, 27 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 32 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) since making his debut against England on March 14, 2021. His last competitive appearance was for Nottinghamshire against Somerset from June 29 to July 2, where he scored 77 runs while batting at No. 6.

Leadership Transition for East Zone

In light of Kishan’s injury, Abhimanyu Easwaran has been appointed to lead the East Zone team. The 29-year-old batsman has amassed 7,841 runs in 103 first-class matches, making him a seasoned choice for captaincy. Easwaran was designated as Kishan’s backup for the Duleep Trophy, underscoring his readiness to step into this pivotal role.

If his recovery progresses well, Kishan may participate in the upcoming tour of Australia with the India A team, which includes an unofficial Test and ODI series from September 16 to October 5. This tour features two unofficial Tests and three one-day matches against Australia A.

East Zone Squad Announcement

The full East Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy includes:

– Abhimanyu Easwaran (Captain)
– Aashirwad Swain (Wicketkeeper)
– Sandeep Pattnaik
– Virat Singh
– Denish Das
– Sridam Paul
– Sharandeep Singh
– Kumar Kushagra
– Riyan Parag
– Utkarsh Singh
– Manishi
– Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal
– Mukesh Kumar
– Akash Deep
– Mohammed Shami

Standby players are Mukhtar Hussain, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Swastik Samal, Sudip Kumar Gharami, and Rahul Singh.

With the Duleep Trophy approaching, the East Zone team faces the challenge of competing without one of its key players. Aashirwad Swain’s inclusion marks an opportunity for the young wicketkeeper to showcase his talent on a significant platform, as the team aims for success in this prestigious tournament.