India's Champions Trophy squad includes Bumrah, Jaiswal, and Kuldeep
Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav have been included in India's preliminary 15-member squa...
Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav have been included in India's preliminary 15-member squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy, set to kick off on February 19. The duo will also feature in the three ODIs against England scheduled for early February. However, Harshit Rana has been brought into the squad as a replacement for Bumrah, who might not be available for the first two matches of the series.
There were injury concerns over both bowlers ahead of the selection on Saturday, with Kuldeep having had surgery for a hernia in November while Bumrah had suffered a stress-related injury during the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
The 15-man squad will be led by Rohit Sharma, with Shubman Gill as his vice-captain, and also includes Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was picked for the first time for ODIs. He is likely to be the reserve opener for the Champions Trophy.
With Virat Kohli the No. 3, the middle order has the same look as the squad for the 2023 ODI World Cup with Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul retaining their spots, along with allrounders Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. Apart from Rahul, Rishabh Pant is the other wicketkeeper in the 15, preferred ahead of Sanju Samson who did not take part in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy. Washington Sundar is the fourth allrounder in the squad, which includes only four specialist bowlers.
Mohammed Shami, who was recently named in the T20I squad for the upcoming home series against England following a long injury layoff, was also named in the Champions Trophy squad. He last played international cricket at the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he was the tournament's highest wicket-taker with 24 wickets.
Mohammed Siraj did not find a place in the 15, with the left-armer Arshdeep Singh earning a spot after finishing as the top wicket in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and impressive performances in international cricket - he was the top wicket-taker on India's ODI series in South Africa in 2023.
The final squad for the Champions Trophy must be submitted to the ICC by February 11.
India play three bilateral ODIs against England on February 6, 9 and 12 - their first 50-over games since the tour of Sri Lanka in August last year - before the Champions Trophy begins on February 19.
India are in Group A in the Champions Trophy and begin their campaign against Bangladesh on February 20, after which they play Pakistan on February 23, and New Zealand on March 2. India play all their matches in Dubai because their government refused to let the team travel to Pakistan.
India squad for Champions Trophy 2025
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja
More to follow …