India’s squad for Champions Trophy 2025 will be a huge topic of discussion in the coming months. The Men in Blue will only play three more ODIs before the mega event next year. Those three matches are against England at home just before the tournament.
Since there will not be much gap between the home series against England and Champions Trophy, the BCCI selection committee might name the same squad for both series. Looking at the results in the recent series against Sri Lanka, here’s how the Indian squad may look like.
Batters in India’s squad for Champions Trophy – Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk) and Sanju Samson (wk)
Rohit Sharma will be the captain of the team, and the likes of Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer are also locked in. The wicketkeeper’s spot is up for grabs. Three players, namely KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson are in the race for two spots.
Considering how Rahul performed in the 2023 World Cup Final, India should pick Samson ahead of him and give him an opportunity to him. Also, Pant might make the cut because he is a left-handed batter.
All-rounders in India’s squad for Champions Trophy – Hardik Pandya (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Shivam Dube
Hardik Pandya will be back as the vice-captain of the team, with senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja also being in the squad. Axar Patel and Shivam Dube will be the backup options for Jadeja and Pandya, respectively. Depending on the pitch, India can play an extra all-rounder as well in the playing XI.
Bowlers – Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Yuzvendra Chahal
India lacked a quality leg-spinner in the recent ODI series against Sri Lanka. This might force them to include Yuzvendra Chahal in the squad. Kuldeep Yadav is an automatic pick, while the pace trio should be the same as the 2023 World Cup, featuring Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj.
