Despite a late injury setback with Jasprit Bumrah being ruled out owing to a back issue, India arrive at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 with a star-studded line-up.
Fielding a majority of the names that featured at the 2023 Cricket World Cup, where they finished runners-up, the experienced duo of captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli power a well-rounded batting line-up.
Meanwhile, fresh names have been introduced in the bowling line-up with Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy putting themselves in the mix.
A noticeable feature of the squad is the presence of multiple all-rounders such as Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, who provide depth with bat and ball.
India’s CT squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Lokesh Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy.
Group stage fixtures
February 20 – Against Bangladesh, Dubai
February 23 – Against Pakistan, Dubai
March 2 – Against New Zealand, Dubai
Player to watch
Hardik Pandya
Having played a major role in India’s Twenty20 World Cup triumph in 2024, the premium seam-bowling all-rounder will be critical to India’s Champions Trophy ambitions. In the absence of Bumrah, the 31-year old is likely to shoulder added responsibility with the ball in hand. With the bat, Pandya holds the key as a proven power-hitter, who can accumulate runs quickly in the lower order.