Rohit Sharma to lead in Champions Trophy; Shubman Gill named vice-captain

Bumrah is included in the squad but him playing will be subject to fitness with Harshit Rana as back up for England ODIs
Mumbai: Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma and BCCI Chief selector Ajit Agarkar address a press conference in Mumbai, Thursday, May 2, 2024. (PTI

Mumbai: Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma and BCCI Chief selector Ajit Agarkar address a press conference in Mumbai, Thursday, May 2, 2024. (PTICenter-Center-Chennai

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Just as captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar announced India’s squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy, the biggest talking point remains the fitness of Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami.

Bumrah, who had back swelling in the Sydney Test against Australia, went off the field and did not take part on day three as the hosts won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. While he is named in the squad for the global event, his participation is subject to fitness and for the three ODIs against England, Harshit Rana has been added as backup.

Meanwhile, Shami, coming off a long lay-off, is already a part of the T20I series squad against England and that could prove to be the precursor to the global event. Supporting them would be Arshdeep Singh and Hardik Pandya.

However, with India playing all their matches in Dubai, the role of pacers might not be as much and it is the spinners who are expected to play a bigger role. That is where Kuldeep Yadav, who is fit and ready, comes in along with Axar Patel. Then there are Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar as well. 

There is little surprise in the top-order with Sharma opening the batting alongside Shubman Gill and Yashavi Jaiswal will remain back-up. Virat Kohli will hold his usual No 3 spot while Shreyas Iyer takes his place at No 4. The middle-order is filled with usual suspects in all-rounder Hardik and Jadeja, then there is also Axar and Washington. 

What will be interesting to see is if KL Rahul gets the nod ahead of Rishabh Pant in the playing XI as the keeper or will both take the field and Iyer miss out. Rahul has been incredible at No 5-6 in ODIs while Pant’s record is sub-par. That said, one can never rule out what Pant is capable of and it all might come down to the number of left-handers they have in the XI.

Among the ones who missed out are Sanju Samson, and Tilak Varma, who had to make way for the regulars in the team. Karun Nair, who had a sensational Vijay Hazare Trophy, taking Vidarbha into the final too did not make the cut. 

Squad for the Champions Trophy 2025: Rohit Sharma(C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah.  

*Bumrah subject to fitness, Harshit Rana in for three ODIs against England

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