(Image source from: Facebook.com/IndianCricketTeam)
India squad for the Champions Trophy: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant(wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah*, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Hardik Pandya have been selected for India's Champions Trophy 2025 squad. The trio last played ODIs at the 2023 World Cup. The 15-member team will be captained by Rohit Sharma, with Shubman Gill as the vice-captain. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is yet to make his ODI debut, has also been included. Bumrah's selection is contingent on his full recovery from the back spasms he experienced at the end of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he bowled a remarkable 151.2 overs and took 32 wickets at an average of 13.06. He will not be available for the England series preceding the Champions Trophy, and Harshit Rana will replace him. However, Bumrah is expected to lead the fast-bowling attack, which will also feature the returning Shami, who was the leading wicket-taker at the 2023 ODI World Cup but has since been absent due to a left Achilles tendon surgery. Arshdeep Singh completes the three-man pace attack, with Mohammed Siraj being left out.
India's squad for the #ChampionsTrophy 2025 announced!
— BCCI (@BCCI) January 18, 2025
Drop in a message in the comments below to cheer for #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/eFyXkKSmcO
The all-rounder department has been strengthened with the return of Pandya, who had missed the latter part of the World Cup due to an ankle injury. Jadeja, another versatile player, last played ODIs 14 months ago. Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, who were part of India's recent ODI series in Sri Lanka, are the other all-rounders in the squad. Kuldeep Yadav has also made a comeback after recovering from a hernia surgery, further boosting India's spin options. Meanwhile, Gill, the vice-captain with an impressive average of 58.20, may face competition for the opening spot, as the selectors have included Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has had a promising start to his international career and brings left-handed batting to the top order.
India will play a match against Jharkhand in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. KL Rahul, who performed excellently in the previous World Cup, will continue to be part of the team. Left-handed Rishabh Pant is the other wicket-keeper batsman in the squad. India are in Group A along with Pakistan, Bangladesh, and New Zealand. They will start their campaign by facing Bangladesh on February 20 at the Dubai International Stadium. They will also play three One Day Internationals against England next month in Nagpur, Cuttack, and Ahmedabad as preparation for the upcoming major ICC tournament.
