The Indian team for the Champions Trophy 2025 was announced last month. Then later in February, the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee named the updated squad by adding a few players.
Harshit Rana replaced injured Jasprit Bumrah in the 15-member squad and Varun Chakravarthy replaced Yashasvi Jaiswal who found a spot in the reserves.
India have already reached Dubai and are down to their practice sessions. They had a major injury scare with Rishabh Pant hit by a shot from Hardik Pandya during the practice session. As of now, he seems to be fit, however, in case he is ruled out, the BCCI will need to name a replacement.
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India begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh on February 20. They then take on Pakistan in the much-anticipated IND vs PAK clash on February 23 followed by their last league match against New Zealand on March 3. Heading into this Champions Trophy, India's top-order and especially the form of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli was a cause of concern. However, both found some runs in the ODI series against England and seemed to regain some form.
Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill To Open For India
Shubman displayed some terrific form with the bat scoring 259 runs in the series averaging 86.33. He seemed to have all the shots in the book and have more than enough time to play the shots. He looked equally effective against pace and spin, something that impressed Kevin Pietersen as well.
Rohit Sharma scored 122 runs in the ODI series and the century that he scored in the second ODI in Cuttack brought back smiles on the faces of Indian fans. Rohit was under huge pressure to deliver with the bat since the Test series against Australia. He looked rusty and way out of form when he encountered the red-ball. However, in the white-ball he played with a lot more sense of relief and authority. Rohit played close to his best in the ODI series against England which got him ready for the major ICC event.
Virat Kohli - India Needs Runs From His Bat, Can He Overcome His Off-Stump Weakness?
Many already believe that Virat Kohli will end as the leading run-getter in the tournament. The former Indian skipper along with his Indian teammate Rohit Sharma badly struggled in the Test series against Australia. However, the 52 off 55 balls he scored in the third ODI against England in Ahmedabad came as a blessing for him. He needed some runs to get back his confidence heading into an ICC tournament and he found those runs just at the right time. With India set to play matches in Dubai, the conditions are ideal for someone like Kohli to anchor the innings and score big runs for his side and the former Indian skipper is a great accumulator of runs. Hopefully, he finds his mojo in the tournament.
The only major thing that Kohli needs to keep in his mind is his pattern of dismissals in recent times. His weakness outside the off-stump has been time and again exposed by bowlers across oppositions. He needs to make more of a mental adjustment rather than a technical one and in this tournament too he will be tested in that area. Indian fans would hope that Kohli does not "fishing outside off stump".
Champions Trophy 2025: India Team Top Order Analysis & Rating- 9/10
The Indian top-order is probably the best in the tournament given the kind of players the top three are. All three of them found some crucial runs in the ODI series against England and should be raring to go in the tournament. To add to that, they are dynamic players not backing down from any challenge. It is crucial that they play out the first 10 overs and then they can reap the rewards of flat batting conditions. Though India have depth in their batting, they would want the trio to flex their batting muscles in Dubai in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Also Read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Venues, Schedule and Where to Watch Live
