India’s New Look Squad For the ICC Champions Trophy 2025
India’s cricket team has announced the final squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. There is a massive blow for the Men in Blue as their star bowler has been ruled out of the tournament. Jasprit Bumrah has failed to recover ahead of the tournament that is scheduled from 19th February to 9th March. It will be held in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.
India heads into this tournament as one of the favorites. Rohit Sharma will lead a side full of experienced players in one department. Jasprit Bumrah has been their best bowler but unfortunately, he has failed to recover from the back injury that caused trouble in Australia. Here is a look at the 15-man squad announced by BCCI.
India’s official squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025
- Rohit Sharma (Captain)
- Shubman Gill (Vice-captain)
- Virat Kohli
- Shreyas Iyer
- KL Rahul (WK)
- Rishabh Pant (WK)
- Hardik Pandya
- Axar Patel
- Washington Sundar
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Harshit Rana
- Mohammed Shami
- Arshdeep Singh
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Varun Chakaravarthy
Rohit and Virat will have a huge responsibility on their shoulders. Both players have performed well in the white ball format. The duo is also playing in the last phase of their careers. An ICC trophy will be a great achievement for these two legends.
Shubman Gill has been chosen as the vice-captain ahead of other experienced players. KL Rahul and Rishab Pant will fight for the wicket-keeping spot. Rahul has the edge over Pant. He has started in the ODI series against England.
Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy have also made it to the final squad. The duo has impressed everyone against England. Hardik Pandya, Jadeja, Axar, and Washington will add their all-round experience to the squad.
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Mohammed Shami will lead the pace attack. Arshdeep Singh has impressed everyone with the white ball. He will provide full support to his other teammates.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj, and Shivam Dube will be the non-traveling substitutes. These three will be available to replace any injured player. However, they will only travel if their services are required.
India’s best starting 11
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav/ Varun
Arshdeep should get a chance ahead of Rana because of his experience in ICC events. Kuldeep and Varun will fight for the spinner spot. KL Rahul is also preferred ahead of Pant by the team.
Can India win their third Champions Trophy?
ICC will host the event for the first time since 2017. Pakistan are the defending champions. They beat India convincingly at the Oval. Only two teams have won the competition more than once. Australia won it back-to-back in 2006 and 2009. India won it first in 2002 and then in 2013.
This year, Rohit Sharma and his men will be eyeing another ICC trophy. India is a strong team on paper. They have a chance to win. But a young bowling line-up has to step up to ensure victory for India. This will be a tough test for the Men in Blue.
