Former Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has questioned Team India’s strategy behind picking five spinners for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. As India will play all its matches in Dubai with their first game scheduled against Bangladesh on Thursday (Feb 20), Ashwin feels the Men in Blue might have picked spinners ‘one too many, if not two’ for the eight-team tournament.

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While two all-rounders, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja, are sure-starters, with unorthodox Kuldeep Yadav being another one to play all matches, mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and all-rounder Washington Sundar are backup options. In the 15-man squad, India has picked just three seamers - Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami and Harshit Rana.

Speaking on his Hindi YouTube channel ‘Ash ki Baat’, Ashwin admitted India might have picked too many spinners for the Dubai pitch, which doesn't offer much assistance (to them) contradictory to the general notion of spinners doing well in that part of the world.

“Five spinners in Dubai? I don’t know. I think we are one spinner too many, if not two," Ashwin said. 

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"The two left-arm spinners (Jadeja and Axar) are your best all-rounders alongside Hardik Pandya. So both Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja are going to play. Hardik will also play, and Kuldeep will play,” he continued.

What's the playing combination?

Considering India will play two seamers alongside Hardik Pandya (and Axar and Jadeja), it leaves a window for just one spinner (of the three) for that one remaining spot, with ace left-armer Kuldeep Yadav leading the race. 

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Owing to star performances in the recently concluded T20I series against England at home, Varun replaced Yashasvi Jaiswal in the final 15, whereas Sundar retained his place after impressing on his second tour Down Under earlier.

Meanwhile, Ashwin, who played the 2022 T20 World Cup in Dubai, where India crashed out from the group stages, feels should India pick Varun in the XI, they have to drop a seamer for that, or he must replace Kuldeep in the side, with both being risky calls.

"If you want Varun Chakravarthy in the team, then you will have to make a pacer sit out and use Hardik as your second pacer. Else, you will have to drop a spinner to bring in a third seamer," he noted.

In the tournament, India is placed in Group A, alongside the host and arch-rivals Pakistan, with Bangladesh and New Zealand being the remaining two teams. After taking on Bangladesh in their tournament opener, India will face Pakistan three days later before facing New Zealand in their last league match (on March 2). 

Dubai will continue to stage India’s knockout games (should they qualify for the semis and the final, respectively.) 

(With inputs from agencies)