1998 was the year in which the ICC Champions Trophy flapped its wings into the cricket world. Eight editions of the tournament have embraced the fans since then, until the ICC decided to put a break to it in the year 2017. The primary reason being the hectic cricket schedule, which was draining out the players. India and Australia have been the most successful teams in the tournament to date, with 2 titles each. Now, after the suspected diminishing popularity of ODI cricket and the overflux of T20 cricket, the ICC is reintroducing the tournament yet again in 2025. Pakistan bagged the hosting rights of the tournament this time around. India, citing security reasons, is playing all their matches in Dubai, UAE.
Recent trends in the ICC tournaments have been the Indian national cricket team starting as one of the favorites, which is the case here as well; kudos to the depth in talent and bench strength. Indian teams, especially in the longer format, haven't been up to the mark lately. The recently concluded Australian tour and the New Zealand cricket team's visit to India have brought disappointment to the Indian cricket fans. It is mainly because of the dip in performance from the senior pros Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. However, they still remain in the forefront of the BCCI's plans, citing their decade-long top-notch contributions and talent. Despite that, their places in the team for the near future depend on the performances in the Champions Trophy.
Indian Squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025
India's 15-member squad, comprising all the familiar faces, seems to be the strongest in the entire tournament. The only surprise inclusions are Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana replacing the injured fast bowling legend Jasprit Bumrah.
India Squad: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy.
This squad seems to be the strongest, despite the unavailability of the pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.
Team Analysis: The Proposed Eleven.
The first match of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will be played 3 days later on Feb 19, 2025, between Pakistan and New Zealand. India's campaign begins on the next day against comparatively weaker opposition, Bangladesh. Not taking them lightly, India needs to get its combination right for the match. The proposed eleven are as follows.
Top Order: Rohit Sharma scored a blistering century in the second ODI of the recently concluded England series. Shubman Gill, on the back of the astonishing performances of one century and two half-centuries, will partner with Rohit at the top. They will be followed by Virat Kohli at no. 3, expecting him to deliver match-winning performances yet again.
Middle Order: Shreyas Iyer will slot in at number 4, thanks to the bright performances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and against England. He was handed the opportunity to bat at no. 3 in the first match of the England series, and he made full use of it, scoring a brisk half-century there, helping the team to conclude the chase inside 40 overs. KL Rahul comes next in the batting order at no. 5. All of the top 5 are right-hand batsmen, so the contention for a left-handed Rishabh Pant cannot be ruled out. But a batting average touching 50 gives Rahul an edge in the competition for places. No. 6 has no such competition, with Hardik Pandya being the only contender. His contributions as a hard hitter and seam bowler keep the team balance intact and include an extra spinner if necessary.
Lower order and Bowlers: Jadeja will bat at number 7, even though I would prefer a big-hitting Axar Patel at the position. Jadeja's hitting range is limited compared to that of Axar. Axar could even go up to Number 5 to compensate for the left-hander if the situation demands. Otherwise, as per the looks of things, Axar will bat at no. 8. Next are to follow the bowlers in Harshit Rana and Mohammed Shami leading the fast bowling charge, with the tough-to-play Kuldeep Yadav leading the spin attack. Harshit Rana is included for his pace and the ability to hurry the batsmen. Despite the occasional inconsistency in his line and lengths, he is expected to bowl match-defining spells in the middle overs to fetch wickets. Shami, returning from an injury, seems to be getting closer to his intimidating best. He has proven it many times by delivering when it really mattered. These two fast bowlers can use the long handle while batting, which is an add-on. Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarty can be a great replacement option for Kuldeep Yadav at a later stage of the tournament if the latter fails to keep up with his past good performances.
ICC Champions Trophy 2025: India's Venue and The Pitches.
Dubai International Cricket Stadium, UAE, which will host India's matches, has presented a bowl-first and win option for captains. Out of the 56 ODI matches played here in the past 4 years, the teams bowling first have won 34 ODIs compared to the 22 wins of the teams batting first. Without the luxury of Bumrah, India will be keen on following the trend if they win the toss. Additionally, the pitches here assist fast bowling more than spin. In that case, India might miss a Shardul Thakur at no. 8, who has won matches with both his batting and bowling in crucial matches overseas. He was someone missing in the last Australian tour, and he proved the selectors wrong with his impactful performances in the domestic cricket circuit recently. There are other such promising talents in the Indian domestic cricket arena, such as Sumit Kumar and Suryansh Shedge, if Shardul Thakur's age was the reason for his non-selection.
With one of the top contenders, Australia, missing many of their first-string players, other teams do not seem to be posing a threat to India's dominance. Unless a dark horse emerges, India is bringing this home to add one more milestone to Rohit and Kohli's trophy cabinet before they retire.
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