Ishan Kishan gets in serious trouble before Asia Cup 2025

East Zone suffered a setback ahead of the Duleep Trophy 2025 as captain and wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan was ruled out due to injury. The 20-year-old Odisha wicketkeeper Aashirwad Swain has been named as his replacement ahead of the clash against North Zone in the six-team tournament.

This comes after pacer Akash Deep was ruled out. Assam medium pacer Mukhtar Hussain has been added as his replacement. Akash Deep, who battled fitness concerns during the England Test series, missed the Manchester match with a groin injury before returning for the fifth and final Test at The Oval.

Ishan Kishan Set to Miss Duleep Trophy 2025

Ishan Kishan has represented India in two Tests, 27 ODIs, and 32 T20Is since his debut in March 2021. He recently sustained an injury while playing for Nottinghamshire in the County Championship.

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The injury prevented him from joining Team India when Rishabh Pant fractured his toe in the fourth Test against England. Tamil Nadu wicketkeeper Narayan Jagadeesan was called up as cover, and Dhruv Jurel featured in the series finale.

Kishan, who had been named captain of East Zone, will now miss the six-team tournament starting on August 28 in Bengaluru. He scored 77 runs batting at number six in his last competitive match for Nottinghamshire against Somerset from June 29 to July 2.

Aashirwad Swain Named as Ishan Kishan’s Replacement in East Zone

Odisha’s 20-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Aashirwad Swain has been named in the East Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy, replacing Ishan Kishan, whose absence has not been officially confirmed.

The Odisha Cricket Association announced Swain’s selection on social media. He will join fellow Odia player Sandeep Pattnaik, while Swastik Samal has been named as a standby.

“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," the statement read.

Swain, who made his first-class debut in January 2024, has played 11 matches, scoring 615 runs at an average of 30.75, including three half-centuries. He has also excelled in age-group cricket.

Abhimanyu Easwaran Appointed East Zone Skipper in Kishan’s Absence

Bengal opener Abhimanyu Easwaran has been appointed captain of the East Zone squad for the Duleep Trophy. The 29-year-old, previously the vice-captain, has accumulated 7,841 runs in 103 first-class matches at an average of 48.70, including 27 centuries and 31 half-centuries.

Easwaran was part of India’s Test squad against England but did not get a chance to play and is yet to make his international debut.

East Zone will start their campaign against North Zone in the first qualifier on August 28 at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground in Bengaluru. The winner will face the South Zone in the semifinals at the same venue, starting on September 4.

East Zone's squad for Duleep Trophy:

Abhimanyu Easwaran, Aasirwad Swain (WK), Sandeep Patnaik, Virat Singh, Denish Das, Sridam Paul, Sharandeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra, Riyan Parag, Utkarsh Singh, Manishi, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep, and Mohammed Shami

Standbys: Mukhtar Hussain, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Swastik Samal, Sudip Kumar Gharami, and Rahul Singh

Also read: Asia Cup 2025: India's squad selected; Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj ignored