Duleep Trophy: Why Dhruv Jurel and Abhimanyu Easwaran are not playing - all you need to know

New Delhi: Central Zone skipper Dhruv Jurel and East Zone captain Abhimanyu Easwaran are not playing the first round of the Duleep Trophy matches because the duo are not 100 per cent fit, TimesofIndia.com has learnt."Jurel has picked up a groin niggle on the eve of the match and he has been asked to skip this match by the selectors," a BCCI source tracking the developments told TimesofIndia.com."He is also in the standbys of the Asia Cup squad and the selectors don't want to take any risk. Right after the Asia Cup, India will be playing four Test matches at home and with uncertainty over (Rishabh) Pant's injury, Jurel has been asked not to take any risk."Meanwhile, Abhimanyu Easwaran, who warmed the bench for the entire England tour and was appointed East Zone's captain in the absence of injured Ishan Kishan, caught a flu on the morning of the match.It is a major setback for Easwaran, who would be itching to get in the middle and pile on the runs after enduring his time on the sidelines in the recently concluded five-match Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.Despite being part of the India squad on multiple occasions now, Easwaran has not managed to make his debut and all he can do is continue amassing runs like he has been in domestic cricket.Understandably, Easwaran would be itching to get in the middle and pile on the runs after enduring his time on the sidelines in the UK.In Jurel's absence, Madhya Pradesh's Rajat Patidar, who led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to their first IPL trophy in 18 years, is captaining Central Zone. For East Zone, all-rounder Riyan Parag, who had captained Rajasthan Royals earlier this year, is donning the captain's armband.