Credit: BCCI
India will kick off their Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against Bangladesh at the iconic Dubai International Stadium on February 20. The 2013 title winners will enter the competition after whitewashing England in the three-match ODI series played at home. Rohit Sharma and his men have looked in excellent touch in the 50-over format recently and they will back themselves to perform exceptionally against the Bangla side to take on the Pakistan challenge confidently on February 23.
Ahead of their opening clash, Indian batters were seen preparing for the game at the ICC Academy. Team India will look to go with the best team combination for the match against the Bangla side to start the competition with a win. In the home series against the English team, Harshit Rana claimed six wickets in three ODIs and ended up as the highest wicket-taker for the team alongside his senior colleague Ravindra Jadeja. However, Rana might lose his spot to Arshdeep Singh, who has the capability to trouble batters with his left-arm bowling.
In this article, SportsTiger looks at India’s probable playing XI versus Bangladesh in the second Champions Trophy 2025 match.
Openers: Rohit Sharma & Shubman Gill
Captain Rohit Sharma looked confident with his bat against the English side in the second ODI played in Cuttack. The veteran silenced his critics after hitting 119 off just 90. Riding on his sensational batting efforts, Team India chased down the target of 305 runs comfortably with four wickets in hand. Shubman Gill has also done a magnificent job for India in recent games. In India’s 3-0 triumph, he was the leading run-getter with 2599 runs in three matches at an excellent average of 86.33.
Middle-order: Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, & KL Rahul
Virat Kohli smashed a fifty in his last game against England but the team management will expect him to step up and deliver effective numbers to the team consistently in the ODI extravaganza. Shreyas Iyer will look to continue his brilliant form with the bat to deliver a nightmare to bowlers. The 30-year-old contributed with two fifties to India’s one-sided series win against England.
KL Rahul might be preferred over Rishabh Pant in the team but the 32-year-old has to dominate bowlers and reinforce India’s middle-order. In case he fails to justify his role against Bangladesh, the team management might trust Pant for the blockbuster clash against the Men in Green on February 23.
All-rounders: Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, & Ravindra Jadeja
Hardik Pandya will be a vital cog for Team India’s campaign at the ongoing event. He will be expected to be at his best in all departments of the game. In Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, Pandya will have to make crucial contributions as a pacer while as a batter, he will look to play the role of match-finisher. Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja will have to assist each other to fortify India’s spin-bowling unit. Patel will be expected to be flexible as the team management might promote him in the batting order in case of emergency.
Bowlers: Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, & Kuldeep Yadav
In Bumrah’s unavailability, pacer Mohammed Shami will have to spearhead India’s bowling attack. The speedster looked out of rhythm in the ODI series against England but Team India fans will want the veteran to be impactful in the 50-over competition and replicate his World Cup 2023 performance. Arshdeep Singh might get the chance in the starting XI and if that happens, the left-arm pacer will have to support Shami. Kuldeep Yadav has the potential to pose a threat for batters and relying on his capability, India will look to contain Bangladesh in Dubai.
