Padikkal and Siraj are in South Zone’s squad, and East Zone have Shami and Mukesh Kumar

Devdutt Padikkal and Mohammed Siraj have been added to South Zone’s squad for the Duleep Trophy final, which starts at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, September 6 and is scheduled to run to the 10th. Both were in India’s Test squad in Sri Lanka last month, and there is no other first-class cricket for either of them to play right now.

Padikkal arrives as player of the series

Padikkal made 328 runs in three innings on that tour, batting at No. 3, and was named player of the series. His maiden Test hundred came on the opening day at Galle, 167 from 230 balls with 15 fours and a six, in what was India’s 600th Test. He added 117 from 193 balls in the drawn second Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. India won the series 1-0.

Siraj played that Colombo Test and bowled 26 overs in it, one wicket in each Sri Lanka innings. Twenty-six overs across five days is a light load for a front-line seamer, and a red-ball final at Chepauk is a sensible place to put more into the legs.

East Zone are in a final for the first time since 2012-13

East Zone got to Chennai by removing the holders. They beat Central Zone by four wickets in the first semi-final in Bengaluru, a match in which both first innings finished on exactly 266. Mukesh Kumar took 7 for 100 across the game and was named player of the match, with Mohammed Shami operating from the other end.

Ishan Kishan captains the side and keeps wicket, with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi as his deputy. Abhimanyu Easwaran, Sudip Kumar Gharami, Shahbaz Ahmed and Anukul Roy are all in the squad. The last time East Zone won this tournament was 2012-13, when they beat Central Zone on first-innings lead in a rain-affected final. That was in Chennai too.

South Zone got here on the back of one batter

South Zone beat North Zone by seven wickets in the other semi-final. Tilak Varma made 116 not out in the first innings and 51 not out in the chase of 181, two innings and no dismissals, and MD Nidheesh took five in the second innings to hurry North Zone out of the game.

Padikkal and Siraj join a squad that already had Karun Nair, Narayan Jagadeesan, Ricky Bhui, Shreyas Gopal and Vidwath Kaverappa in it. Of the two finalists, South Zone were the one whose batting needed reinforcing least.

The Afghanistan T20Is start three days after the final ends

India play Afghanistan in three T20Is at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on September 13, 15 and 17. Tilak Varma is vice-captain of that squad, Ishan Kishan is one of its two wicketkeepers, and Sooryavanshi is in it as well. A Duleep final that runs the full five days finishes on September 10, which leaves two clear days.

So both captains and East Zone’s 15-year-old vice-captain are due in Delhi almost immediately after Chepauk. All three are expected to play the final unless India’s team management asks for them to be rested, which is a decision somebody has to make in the next few days.

Follow the Duleep Trophy final from Chepauk