Key Points

For the clash starting from November 28, Kishan has been replaced by Odisha's Aashirwad Swain in the East Zone's squad, as per ESPNCricinfo.

As per ESPNCricinfo, Kishan's injury required multiple stitches, which is why he was not selected as a replacement for Rishabh Pant ahead of the fifth and final Test against England at The Oval, as the superstar batter was ruled out due to a foot injury. Eventually, the replacement was Tamil Nadu's Narayan Jagadeesan, as a back-up for Dhruv Jurel.

Kishan's injury is however, not a serious one as his missing the campaign opener for East Zone is a precautionary measure as he could be running to appear in the India A squad that will play two four-day fixtures at home against Australia next month.

Kishan will continue his recovery and assessment at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. Kumar Kushagra could take his place as a first-choice wicketkeeper.

Also, the East Zone will also miss out on pacer Akash Deep's services, as he has been adviced rest. His niggle or injury, if any, is currently unknown, and his assessment will be carried out later.

During the recent tour of England, which saw him miss the fourth Test due to back niggle, he picked up 13 wickets in three Tests, including a ten-fer at Birmingham and also scored a precious half-century during the final Test at The Oval. Assam's Mukhtar Hussain has replaced him in the Abhimanyu Easwaran-led squad.

East Zone will kickstart their campaign against Shubman Gill led North Zone at CoE. Riyan Parag will be Easwaran's deputy. The squad also consists of Mohammed Shami, who has played just one first-class game in last two years and Mukesh Kumar.

East Zone squad for Duleep Trophy opener: Abhimanyu Easwaran (capt), Aasirwad Swain (wk), Sandeep Patnaik, Virat Singh, Denish Das, Sridam Paul, Sharandeep Singh, Kumar Kushagra (wk), Riyan Parag (vice-captain), Utkarsh Singh, Manishi, Suraj Sindhu Jaiswal, Mukesh Kumar, Mukhtar Hussain and Mohammed Shami.

- ANI