Courtesy: Google
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have revealed the official date to announce the Indian squad for the three-match ODI series against England at home, followed by the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. On Saturday, January 18, the Indian selectors will pick the 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC tournament, which will be played in Pakistan and the UAE, and the formal announcement will be made in a press conference where captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar.
Following a string of poor performances at the Test level under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, the Indian players and management are under pressure to deliver big results in ODI cricket, which hasn’t been the focus of attention over the past year or so. During the ODI World Cup 2023, Rohit Sharma led India to the final of the tournament after winning 10 matches on the spin, only to lose in the summit clash against Australia.
With the Indian cricket team playing only three ODI matches in 2024, there won’t be significant changes to the 15-member squad for the Champions Trophy 2025 in comparison to ODI World Cup 2023. The likes of captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mohammed Shami, are expected to retain their spots.
Yashasvi Jaiswal and Arshdeep Singh, who have been top-quality performers in the T20I circuit since making their debut recently, are highly likely to be a part of the Indian squad in the ODI format this year, and the Champions Trophy inclusion is definitely on the cards. Meanwhile, seasoned campaigners like Axar Patel and Rishabh Pant, who have had their share of injury issues in recent times, have already proved their mettle in ODI cricket, which is why they are expected to make the trip to the UAE next month.
India’s group stage campaign in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will begin with a clash against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on February 20 before taking on arch-rivals Pakistan and New Zealand.
Below is the probable squad of India for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025:
Rohit Sharma (c), Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill (vc), Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Arshdeep Singh, Axar Patel, Rishabh Pant (wk)
