Aayush Pandey and Sanjeet Desai do their bit to put Chhattisgarh on the cricket map

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Aayush Pandey and Sanjeet Desai, two emerging players who are motivated by the success of Chhattisgarh's biggest star Shashank Singh, have made the Central Zone squad for the upcoming Duleep Trophy, and are hoping to enhance the reputation of their state in Indian domestic cricket.

Pandey, 21, is a left-hand opening batter, while Desai, 27, is a right-hand middle-order batter who often uses his long reach to mess with the lengths of bowlers.

They were both among the top-ten run-getters in the 2024-25 Ranji Trophy. They were also among the top-ten run-getters in the 2025 Chhattisgarh Premier League. More recently, their contributions on a Chennai turner helped Chhattisgarh beat a more fancied Maharashtra side, which included Ruturaj Gaikwad, in the pre-season Buchi Babu tournament.

"I've learnt a lot from Shashank and he has helped me develop over the last two-three years," Pandey says. "His advice on mental tactics has helped me build my innings and also support my team-mates.

"We have a lot of talent coming through in Chhattisgarh. Our age-group teams are also doing well and we're also doing well in [senior] state matches and the win against Maharashtra in the Buchi Babu gives us confidence going into the domestic season."

Before Shashank put Chhattisgarh on the Indian cricket map, it was Amandeep Khare, the current captain, who had played at the higher levels, representing India Under-19s as well as Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy.

"Shashank has inspired a lot of us and at the same time, Amandeep Khare is a legend from our state," Desai says. "You see more talent and the results are also coming. It's been just a few years since we got the affiliation [2016-17], and things will soon come our way."

Pandey's career has been trending upwards since he toured the UK in 2023 with a Mumbai Indians (MI) development squad. In the 2024-25 Buchi Babu, he won the Player-of-the-Tournament award and in the following Ranji season, he racked up 744 runs in 12 innings at an average of 67.63, including a century against Tamil Nadu and a double-century against Assam. He has also attended IPL trials with a number of franchises but is yet to break into the big league.

"In the first year, I didn't take the Chhattisgarh Premier League seriously, but when I went for IPL trials, franchises were telling me that they are monitoring our league too. So, I was serious about it and this season was good" Sanjeet Desai

"The MI tour of the UK helped me assess and adapt to different conditions," Pandey says. "It's different to playing in India with more swing and seam. The last Buchi Babu and Ranji season has given me a lot of confidence and I hope to carry that through to the Duleep Trophy."

Like Pandey, Desai can bat for long and score big, too. After chalking up four consecutive centuries in the CK Nayudu Trophy in 2023, he showed that he could score a similar volume of runs in the most recent Ranji Trophy. Desai credits his coach Umesh Patwal, who has also worked with Afghanistan as their batting coach, and regular stints in Chennai's competitive first-division league for his red-ball progress.

"Umesh Patwal, who is from Mumbai… I went to him in 2021 and after that my cricketing journey changed and I think I've scored 12 centuries in the BCCI seasons after that [including age-group tournaments]," Desai says. "I have also been playing for India Cements for four years in the TNCA [Tamil Nadu Cricket Association] league and playing the league has flourished my game like anything.

"Playing in Chennai, you get different kinds of wickets, which you don't get in the north or central part. By the time I come to the Ranji Trophy, I would have scored 350-400 runs in the league, which has really helped me in the Ranji season."

Desai also has some exposure outside of India, having played as a professional for the Sri Lankan Airforce Sports Club in 2023. He is eager to harness all of those experiences and make an impression in the upcoming Duleep Trophy that starts on August 28.

"The Duleep Trophy is the gateway to the Indian cricket team," Desai says. "All the selectors are thoroughly watching the players and monitoring them. So, it is really important for me, and runs in the Buchi Babu will boost my confidence because I think my last Ranji game was in January-February."

Pandey is relishing the prospect of batting together with Desai for Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy. "There is good bonding and understanding between us," he says. "We've had some big partnerships for Chhattisgarh. I know which bowlers he is going to target and which bowlers may be difficult [to face] for him. [In] the same way, he tells me how to play the bowlers and go about my batting."

Chhattisgarh had posted five totals of 400 or more in seven Ranji games in the 2024-25 domestic season, but their attack struggled to bowl out oppositions. To remedy that, they have brought in the experienced Aditya Sarwate, the left-arm spin-bowling allrounder who has represented Vidarbha and Kerala in the past, and paired him up with seamer Ravi Kiran, another professional.

"If you look at the graph, our batters have all scored runs," Desai says. "Last year we had just one professional [Ravi Kiran]. Other than that, there was some bowler making his debut. In the next game, someone else was making his debut. Now, we have got Aditya Sarwate and there will be support for Ravi Kiran this season."