The India’s provisional 15-man squad has been announced for the upcoming Champions Trophy which is set to begin on February 19. The list was revealed in a press conference addressed by Captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar. The same squad will be heading in three ODIs against England which will take place early February. Harshit Rana has been named as a back-up for Bumrah who may not be fit to play for the first two matches of the India-England bilateral series.
Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav have also been included after the injury concerns ahead of the selection on Saturday. Jasprit Bumrah faced a stress-related injury during the fifth test of the Border-Gavaskar trophy, while Kuldeep underwent surgery for a hernia in November.
The team of 15 will be led by Rohit Sharma and Shubhman Gill has been named as the Vice-Captain. The squad has a new addition with Yashasvi Jaiswal being picked up for the first time in ODIs. Jaiswal might be kept as a reserve opener for the Champions Trophy.
The middle order looks very much same as it was in the 2023 ODI World Cup. Starting with Virat Kohli at no. 3, followed by Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul retaining their old spots. The all-rounders include Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel, a fourth one, Washington Sundar. Apart from KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant is the other wicketkeeper in the 15 players who was preferred over Sanju Samson.
There are four specialist bowlers in the Champions trophy squad. Mohammad Shami has also been named for the Champions Trophy after being included for the T20s against England. The pacer will return to international cricket after a long injury. The last he played was the 2023 ODI World Cup where he took 23 wickets, highest in the tournament.
Arshdeep Singh who was a top wicket taker in the Vijay Hazare trophy as well as in India vs South Africa 2023, earned a place in the squad. The left-armer was picked over Mohammad Siraj.
India played its last ODI against Sri Lanka in August last year. Before the Champions Trophy, it will face England in the three ODIs on February 6, 9 and 12 respectively.
The Champions Trophy which begins on February 19, will have India’s campaign run from February 20. India is placed in the Group A, and will take on Bangladesh in its first match. The next will be against Pakistan on February 23, and then with New Zealand on March 2. All the matches of India will be held in Dubai, owing to Pakistan hosting this year’s Champions Trophy and the Indian Government refusing the team to travel to the neighboring rival.
Indian Cricket squad for Champions Trophy 2025
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubhman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Rishabh Pant.
The final squad list has to be submitted to ICC by February 11, 2025.