Last Updated on 1 month by Charbel Coorey
India 2025 Champions Trophy squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy
India in ODIs since the 2023 World Cup:
- Matches played: 9
- Matches won: 5
- Matches lost: 3
- Tied: 1
- W/L ratio: 1.666
- Batting run rate: 5.83
Most runs for India in ODIs since the 2023 World Cup:
- Shubman Gill (RHB): 316 runs, AVG: 52.66, SR: 92.12, 100s: 1, 50s: 2
- Rohit Sharma (RHB): 291 runs, AVG: 46.50, SR: 132.85, 100s: 1, 50s: 2
- Shreyas Iyer (RHB): 271 runs, AVG: 38.71, SR: 117.31, 100s: 0, 50s: 3
Most wickets for India in ODIs since the 2023 World Cup:
- Arshdeep Singh (left-arm pace): 14 wickets, AVG: 16.64, ECO: 4.75
- Axar Patel (left-arm spin): 8 wickets, AVG: 34.25, ECO: 4.25
- Washington Sundar (right-arm off-spin): 8 wickets, AVG: 23.25, ECO: 4.42
- Kuldeep Yadav (left-arm wrist-spin): 7 wickets, AVG: 34.85, ECO: 4.19
India 2025 Champions Trophy Squad SWOT Analysis: Will the favourites go on to win?
India’s Spin-heavy Squad: Is Five Too Many?
India are heading into the Champions Trophy with a squad featuring five spinners and only three specialist seam-bowling options. All of their matches will be played in Dubai, where the ILT20 – the only recent tournament held at the venue – saw pacers claim 68.2% of the wickets, while spinners took just 31.8%.
This isn’t to suggest that India’s spinners won’t perform; they’re all top-tier and can shine on almost any track. But having five of them might just be an overkill. Especially when you consider that there are only three specialist pacers, and one of them, Shami, is returning from injury and still isn’t quite at his best, and the other two have a combined 12 matches of ODI experience.
Instead of replacing Yashasvi Jaiswal with Varun Chakravarthy, India could have considered recalling Mohammed Siraj to add more depth to their seam attack, especially in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah.
Seam Attack Setbacks: Navigating Bumrah’s Injury
Jasprit Bumrah’s absence is a significant setback. Not only does it impact India’s death-bowling, but their new-ball attack also takes a considerable hit without him, forcing Arshdeep Singh – the squad’s only real threat with the new ball – to start in the XI.
Interestingly, Mohammed Shami’s ODI numbers in the first six overs – when new-ball movement is at its best – aren’t particularly impressive. He’s most effective as a first-change bowler, a role in which he excelled during the 2023 World Cup.
India also faces a slog-overs issue, and Shami has never been particularly renowned as a death-bowler. He’s also returning from injury, and his bowling in the second ODI in Cuttack wasn’t particularly reassuring.
On the contrary, the 6’2″ Harshit Rana proved effective with his hit-the-deck methods, often bowling at speeds exceeding 140 kph. While he was occasionally expensive, he finished the England series as the joint second-highest wicket-taker and remained a consistent threat with the ball.
However, while he can seam the new ball, he isn’t quite a new-ball bowler at this stage of his career and is better suited to bowling in the middle overs. His cutters and pace variations also make him a valuable option at the death. With the new ball, India may have to turn to Hardik, who, while not ideal, offers better line control than Harshit and can even generate some movement away from right-handers.
While this setup is far from ideal, and Bumrah’s injury has been a major setback, India didn’t help their cause by leaving out Siraj. Now, they must focus on maximising their available resources through smart utilisation.
India’s Batting Blueprint for the Champions Trophy
India has retained their batting core from the 2023 ODI World Cup, and rightfully so. All of their top five batsmen boast an average of over 45 in ODI cricket and have been instrumental to the team’s success in recent years. The fact that Rishabh Pant — who would likely start in almost any other side — will be a backup speaks volumes about the strength of India’s batting.
The only concern was (is?) the form of veterans Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. While the former silenced his critics in style with a swashbuckling, match-winning century in Cuttack, Kohli also contributed with a run-a-ball half-century in the third ODI. Though it wasn’t the most convincing knock, the runs and time spent in the middle will undoubtedly benefit him as he heads into the Champions Trophy.
To avoid an all-right-handed top five, India may consider promoting Axar Patel ahead of KL Rahul to No. 5, as seen in the England series.
“That’s the way cricket is meant to be played,” Gambhir said of Axar’s promotion. “I know a lot of people talk about it, but that’s the way we got to play the game, and that’s the way cricket should be played. It’s not about the batting order, it’s about who can create what impact. And it’s about just if you have the option of putting a quality left-hand batter in the middle; why won’t you do that?
“Why would you want to have top five as right-handers? We don’t look at averages and stats and all that stuff. We look at who can deliver more at that number. And Axar has done fabulously well. Both the games [in which] he got the opportunity; he delivered for us. I know there will always be talk – there will always be people talking about it – but I think that’s the way we want to go in future as well.”
With Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja also in the mix, India’s batting lineup is arguably stronger than ever.
India’s All-Round Depth: A Key Advantage
One of India’s key strengths lies in the depth they possess in both departments, thanks to their all-rounders.
While some might argue that playing two players of similar roles – Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel – is a waste of a spot, it’s important to note that, despite both being left-arm spinners who bat left-handed, they offer distinct skillsets.
While Jadeja, with his high-arm action and ability to impart heavy revs on the ball, challenges both edges of the bat, Axar, with his wider release, keeps the ball moving into the right-hander even after pitching, primarily targeting the inside edge of the bat. Thanks to his height, Axar also releases the ball from a higher point than Jadeja, adding another layer of distinction to their styles.
With the bat, while Jadeja is more of a lower-order pace hitter, Axar stands out as one of the best players of spin in the country, adding immense value as a floater in the middle overs.
India Predicted Starting XI for the 2025 Champions Trophy
1. Rohit Sharma (c), 2. Shubman Gill, 3. Virat Kohli, 4. Shreyas Iyer, 5. Axar Patel, 6. KL Rahul (wk), 7. Hardik Pandya, 8. Ravindra Jadeja, 9. Harshit Rana/Mohammed Shami, 10. Kuldeep Yadav, 11. Arshdeep Singh
India 2025 Champions Trophy Squad SWOT Summary
Strengths:
- Strong and experienced batting core
- Excellent depth in both departments, thanks to all-round options
- High-quality spin-bowling unit
- Middle-overs mastery with both bat and ball
Weaknesses:
- The absence of Jasprit Bumrah
- Limited new ball impact
- Inexperience in pace attack and death-bowling concerns against power-hitters
Opportunities:
- Tactically utilise Axar as a floater and Hardik as a new-ball option
- Chance for Harshit to grow and establish himself in the ODI setup
- Matchup-based spin selections to exploit opposition weaknesses
Threats:
- Shami’s form and fitness
- Less game time for some of the players heading into the tournament
Written by Sparsh Telang. Follow on X on @_cricketsparsh
