Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is yet to announce India's Champions Trophy squad with the ICC tournament just over a month away. The board is expectedly waiting for the domestic 50-over tournament Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) to get over to select the best team possible.
The VHT final is set to be played on January 18 - the same date BCCI is expected to announce the squad for ODI leg of England's tour of India and the same set of players will reportedly play the upcoming 2025 Champions Trophy.
Which players should be in India's Champions Trophy squad?
Despite skipper Rohit Sharma's poor run of form in recent times, he is all but certain to not only play but lead the India squad. Rohit's credentials in the 50-over cricket are unparalleled. He is the only player, along with Virat Kohli, to have 10,000+ ODI runs among the active players in world cricket.
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Shubman Gill should open with him, with Kohli set to play at number three. While India have the option of selecting Yashasvi Jaiswal as the back-up opener, Sanju Samson's recent form for India in the T20Is makes him a good option as well. Additionally, Samson also offers his expertise as a wicketkeeper.
In the middle order, Shreyas Iyer's experience is a big plus for his selection along with KL Rahul, who could be India's designated wicketkeeper as he was in the ODI World Cup 2023. For the backups, the board can cash in on the rich form of Karun Nair, who is averaging 664 in the ongoing VHT.
Punjab's Abhishek Sharma could also find himself in contention based on his performance for India in T20Is and ongoing VHT, where he has 467 runs in eight matches. India's T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who played in ODI WC 2023, could be a wildcard as well.
For all-rounders, Hardik Pandya is a lock with a toss up between Nitish Reddy and Shivam Dube for the second medium-pacer all-rounder spot. While Reddy has proved his worth in Test cricket during the series against Australia Down Under, Dube's experience and participation in India's T20 World Cup 2024 win could help his case.
Among the spin all-rounders, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar and Axar Patel are the options. Jadeja is the most experienced one, while Axar has been around the team for a long time now, but both of these players offer the same skill set—left-arm orthodox spin.
The board, however, might end up going with Jadeja for experience and Sundar for variety. For the specialist spinner, Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav could be vying for a single spot.
Among the pacers, Arshdeep Singh could very well be making the cut along with Mohammed Shami, who has been selected for England T20Is, and Jasprit Bumrah.
India's Champions Trophy Squad: Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal/Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Karun Nair/Abhishek Sharma/Suryakumar Yadav/Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Reddy/Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel/Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy/Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah (subject to fitness)