NEW DELHI: The switch from five-day red-ball cricket to the shortest format in a matter of days will be “slightly challenging”, Ishan Kishan and Tilak Varma admitted, but the India T20I stars are refusing to make the hectic schedule an excuse.Kishan and Tilak are set to lead East Zone and South Zone respectively in the Duleep Trophy final, which begins in Chennai on Sunday and runs until September 10. Just three days later, India begin their three-match T20I series against Afghanistan in New Delhi, leaving the players with only a couple of days to recover, travel and prepare for a completely different format.Kishan, who is also part of India’s T20I squad, acknowledged the difficulty of switching between formats and roles.“It is just about knowing what format you are playing. I know it gets difficult when you are playing Test match and suddenly you have to go and start hitting from ball one (in white ball format) and then suddenly you have to go back to your domestic team and you have to play a whole different role,” Kishan said in the pre-match press conference.Tilak, South Zone captain and India’s T20I vice-captain, echoed his teammate’s assessment.“Yes, it will be slightly challenging…playing five days here (Duleep Trophy) and again joining the (India) team. From here we are going to Delhi, so, there will be like a two day break. We can practise there. It will be slightly challenging,” he said.
‘As professionals, it is our job to adapt’
The key, according to both players, is adaptability. Having spent years moving between formats and playing back-to-back domestic and international matches, they believe they can make the mental and physical adjustment.“We have played enough domestic games, we have played in every condition, so we can adjust. We know how to change our mindsets and maintain our body with good fluids and everything.“We have played before in domestic as well as international back-to-back games, so we are quite used to it,” Kishan said.The East Zone captain also made it clear that players cannot complain about a schedule they already know they have to navigate.“I feel as professionals it is our job to adapt. We cannot come up with excuses after knowing this is your routine for the next few days. So, it is better to not be in a situation where we have to make excuses,” he added.“But at the same time be aware and be just mindful of what is going to happen and I will be playing T20I after this. So, my job will be different. But still I feel we are getting two days of practice before the first game against Afghanistan. So, it will be more than enough I feel.”Tilak had earlier made it clear that he wanted to play the Duleep Trophy final despite his India commitment, pointing to the two-day gap before the Afghanistan series. His participation was subsequently expected to go ahead, alongside Kishan and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.
Padikkal adds firepower to South Zone
South Zone will also be strengthened by the arrival of Devdutt Padikkal, who comes into the final after a spectacular Test series in Sri Lanka. He scored 328 runs in three innings, including two centuries, and was named Player of the Series.Tilak believes Padikkal’s form can make a significant difference to South’s batting line-up.“Yeah, it will be a big boost for us. The kind of form he (Padikkal) is in, it will be really helpful for us and he can share his experience with the players. We have got quite a few young guys on our side and it will be really helpful,” he said.The South skipper also confirmed Padikkal’s batting position.“Padikkal will be batting at number 3 and his coming into the side will strengthen our batting line-up, especially with the kind of form we have seen from Padikkal in the last 2 or 3 games. He has done really well. It will be a big boost for us,” he added.