Mohd. Siraj loses out to Arshdeep Singh as third specialist pace bowling option
Shubman Gill is Rohit’s deputy; Yashasvi Jaiswal could make ODI debut
Kohli, Shreyas, KL Rahul, Rishab Pant other regular batsmen picked in the 15-member squad
Hardik only pace bowling allrounder, the spin-bowling allrounders being Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel & Washington Sundar
Kuldeep Yadav only specialist spinner in the squad
The suspense over India’s squad, and Jasprit Bumrah’s availability, for the Champions Trophy 2025 to be played simultaneously in Pakistan and Dubai from mid-February is over. Yes, Jasprit Bumrah’s name finds a place in the 15-member squad announced on Saturday afternoon, but his place is conditional to his recovering fully from the back spasms he suffered during the last Test match of the 5-match series in Australia.
Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar stating that the team management will keep an eye on the pacer’s fitness in the lead-up to the tournament. He also said Bumrah will not play India’s first two ODIs in the upcoming three-match series against England, with Harshit Rana coming into that squad as cover.
Mohd. Shami, the leading wicket-taker in India’s 2023 ODI World Cup victory, makes a comeback to the ODI squad after a long layoff from international cricket due to injury. For the third specialist pace bowler slot, Mohammed Siraj has made way for Arshdeep Singh. Allrounder Hardik Pandya is the fourth pace bowling option in the squad.
Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar are the three spin-bowling allrounders in the squad, and specialist left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav has also returned following a groin injury and subsequent surgery.
Yashasvi Jaiswal has joined regular names Rohit Sharma (capt), Virat Kohli, and Shubman Gill (vice-captain) at the top of the order, while experienced KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant comprise the middle order.
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India won the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy in 2002 and 2013 and will look to win a third title. In the last edition of the ICC Champions Trophy, India reached the finals before losing to Pakistan.
India are placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Bangladesh and New Zealand. They’ll open their campaign against Bangladesh on February 20 at the Dubai International Stadium.
India play three ODIs against England next month, in Nagpur (February 6), Cuttack (February 9) and Ahmedabad (February 12), as tune-up to the marquee ICC event.
