India all-rounder Hardik Pandya. Photo: X | Hardik Pandya India all-rounder Hardik Pandya. Photo: X | Hardik Pandya India is set to announce its 15-member contingent for the 2025 Champions Trophy in Pakistan/UAE and there might be some interesting inclusions and big omissions from the squad. Yashasvi Jaiswal is expected to make his ODI debut in the home series against England which precedes the Champions Trophy which may mean that the great Virat Kohli is pushed down to number 4. While Hardik Pandya will return to the fold, who will be the all-rounders? Has the sun set for Ravindra Jadeja – the ODI player? The other million-dollar question for India is around the fitness of Jasprit Bumrah – will he be available for the whole tournament or only make a comeback mid-way into the ICC event? There are doubts about the availability of Kuldeep Yadav as he recovers post a hernia surgery – will the selectors name him in the squad or throw in a surprise there? (More Cricket News)
Jaiswal to open with Rohit?Yashasvi Jaiswal is likely to make his ODI debut in the home series against England. The left-hander has already established himself as India’s premier opener in both Test cricket and T20Is. He has a Test average of 52.88 and a T20I average of 36.15 with a strike rate of 164.3. Jaiswal also has a commendable record in List A cricket where he has smashed 1511 runs in 32 innings at an average of 54 and a strike rate of 86.2 with five hundreds! Given his prowess as an opener and ability to maximize the powerplay, Jaiswal will partner Rohit at the top of the order.
Gill to move to number 3Shubman Gill may have been in horrendous form with the bat in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under but has a stunning record in ODIs. He has had a great start to his 50-over career and has scored 2328 runs in 47 innings at an average of 58.2 and strike rate of 101.7 with six hundred. Still early days for Gill, but as far as starts go, it does not get better than this! For a minimum of 2000 runs in ODI cricket, he has the best batting average in the format’s history. He was the leading run-getter in the world in ODIs in 2023! Gill has scored most of his runs as an opener and forms a formidable pair with Rohit but given Jaiswal’s current form, it is likely that he would be pushed to number 3.
Will Kohli be pushed to number 4?Virat Kohli is amongst the three greatest batters in ODI cricket of all-time and he has made most of his runs from the number 3 position. He had a prolific 2023 where he hammered 1377 runs in just 24 innings at an average of 72.47 and strike rate of 99.13 with six hundred. While it will not be an easy call to push him to number 4, the position is not alien to King Kohli. He has scored 1767 runs in 39 innings from number 4 at an average of 55.21 with seven hundreds. However, the last time Kohli batted at the position was against Australia at the Wankhede in 2020.
Rahul over Pant & SamsonIf their numbers and prowess in the format are the only criteria, then KL Rahul is heads and shoulders above Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson in the pecking order for the designated wicket-keeper. Rahul has a brilliant record in the format with an aggregate of 2851 runs in 72 innings at an average of 49.15 with seven hundreds. He is best suited at number 5 from where he has proven to be a genuine match-winner for India between 2017 and 2023 scoring 1259 runs in 30 innings at an average of 57.2 and strike rate of 95.45 with two tons and nine fifties.
Pant has not transformed his exploits in Test cricket in limited-overs cricket for India. He did hammer a fine 125 against England in Manchester in 2022 but has barely produced any other high-impact performances. Pant strikes at 106 per hundred balls but has scored just six 50-plus scores in 27 innings at an average of 33.5 despite batting at number 4 for most of his career. He has been largely inconsistent in the format.
Samson should be the second wicket-keeper choice – he has excellent numbers in ODIs with an average of 56.66 and a strike rate of 99.6 with one ton and three fifties in 17 innings for the country. Samson smashed a fine 108 off 114 deliveries in his last ODI for India – against South Africa in Paarl in 2023.
Shreyas Iyer is also likely to make the squad of 15 but may find it difficult to break into the XI. Despite his stupendous record in T20Is, Suryakumar Yadav may not find a place in ODIs for India.
Who are the all-rounders?Hardik Pandya selects himself at number 6. Washington Sundar, Axar Patel and Nitish Kumar Reddy are the other all-rounders who may find a spot in the 15. However, Ravindra Jadeja’s selection is not guaranteed and the veteran all-rounder has not represented India in ODI cricket since the 2023 World Cup final.
Will Bumrah be fit?That is the billion-dollar question! India need a fit Bumrah against the big teams and in the knockout matches at the Champions Trophy. Mohammed Shami is making a comeback and that will bolster the pace unit but Bumrah is currently the best fast bowler across formats in the world. Reports suggest that he might only be fit mid-way into the Champions Trophy – rest assured the selectors will take that risk and name him in the contingent.
The return of ShamiShami’s return is a big plus for India. He has a stunning record in ODI cricket with 195 dismissals in 100 innings at an average of 23.68. He is a big wicket-taker in the format with his strike rate of 25.5 is the best-ever in the history of ODI cricket (minimum 150 wickets)! Shami was the leading wicket-taker of the 2023 World Cup with 23 wickets in just seven matches at a stunning average of 10.7!
Mohammed Siraj and Arshdeep Singh are likely to be the other seamers in the squad.
Kuldeep to make a comeback?Kuldeep Yadav has not played international cricket since October last year and is currently recuperating after a hernia surgery. Kuldeep has a brilliant record in the format and picked 172 wickets in 103 innings at an average of 26 and a strike rate of 31.2 with 7 four-wicket hauls and 2 five-wicket hauls.However, if he is unfit, Varun Chakravarthy could be an interesting option. Chakravarthy is the second-highest wicket-taker of the ongoing 2024-25 Vijay Hazare Trophy – India’s premier domestic one-day tournament.
India’s Probable 15 For England ODIs
murka slots1. Rohit Sharma, 2. Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3. Shubman Gill, 4. Virat Kohli, 5. KL Rahul, 6. Hardik Pandyasure win ph, 7. Washington Sundar, 8. Axar Patel, 9. Mohammed Shami, 10. Mohammed Siraj, 11. Kuldeep Yadav/ Varun Chakravarthy, 12. Nitish Kumar Reddy, 13. Sanju Samson, 14. Arshdeep Singh, 15. Shreyas Iyer
India’s Probable 15 For Champions Trophy
1. Rohit Sharma, 2. Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3. Shubman Gill, 4. Virat Kohli, 5. KL Rahul, 6. Hardik Pandya, 7. Washington Sundar, 8. Axar Patel, 9. Mohammed Shami, 10. Jasprit Bumrah, 11. Kuldeep Yadav/ Varun Chakravarthy, 12. Mohammed Siraj, 13. Sanju Samson, 14. Arshdeep Singh, 15. Shreyas Iyer
Both teams started off strong, looking to break each others' back line in the first quarter but no team were able to breach the barrier.
India’s Best XI For Champions Trophy
1. Rohit Sharma, 2. Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3. Shubman Gill, 4. Virat Kohli, 5. KL Rahul, 6. Hardik Pandya, 7. Washington Sundar, 8. Axar Patel, 9. Mohammed Shami, 10. Jasprit Bumrah, 11. Kuldeep Yadav