ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Ideal Playing 11 for Team India
Rohit Sharma expected to lead as we look at the ideal playing 11 for Team India for the Champions Trophy 2025.
Team India won an ICC tournament after a gap of almost 11 years in the form of the T20 World Cup 2024, and with that, the next ICC tournament that India will focus on is the Champions Trophy 2025. 2017 was the last time the Champions Trophy was played, and 8 years on, the format is back with Pakistan being the hosts, who were also the 2017 champions.
Now, the debate is definitely going on whether India should go to Pakistan to play the Champions Trophy, but that isn’t the point of discussion. What BCCI decides will eventually be known, but what’s more important is how Team India are going to prepare for the upcoming 50-over tournament, the Champions Trophy 2025. One thing that we definitely know is Rohit Sharma is confirmed to be the Captain of the side.
Now, Team India have only 6 planned ODIs before the Champions Trophy 2025. There are 3 ODIs next month against Sri Lanka, and then there are 3 ODIs in Jan against England. These are the planned ODIs, and if required, BCCI may plan for additional ODIs, if required. But with only 6 ODIs, it will be very interesting to see how Team India go about their team selection and preparation.
It is expected that Team India will be resting their key players, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Jasprit Bumrah for Sri Lanka ODIs, which leaves us only 3 more ODIs to play to full strength. But what does the ideal playing 11 look like for Team India if we had to look at the Champions Trophy 2025? Well, let’s find out in this article.
Champions Trophy 2025 India Playing 11:
If we start with the openers, India have currently found a steady opening pair in the form of Shubman Gill and Captain Rohit Sharma. Both have been quite successful, and have also been opening together for quite some time now. Both are almost sure to open, and in the backups, India will have Ruturaj Gaikwad and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Coming to the middle-order, Virat Kohli will definitely play at 3. But for number 4, India have two options in the form of Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer. Now, Iyer for sure has done well at number 4, but that was in Pant’s absence. Not only is Pant a competent batter, but he will also be the only left hander in the top 6 if he is selected in the 11. Ideally, Pant should play above Iyer, and the Sri Lanka series will mostly decide that.
Coming to the finishers, India will see KL Rahul at number 5 and Hardik Pandya at number 6. With Pant there, KL Rahul may not need to do the wicket-keeping, but he for sure still remains a key batter for Team India. In addition, India will be happy to see Hardik Pandya in the side, who was ruled out for ODI World Cup 2023.
Batting Depth or Attacking Bowling Option?
Now, talking about the lower-order, Ravindra Jadeja for sure will play at number 7. But Team India may once again opt for Axar Patel in the side to add batting depth like they did in T20 World Cup 2024. Not only is Axar a competent batter but can also give useful 4-5 overs if required. So, expect Hardik, Jadeja, and Axar, all three to play a key role in Team India’s squad for Champions Trophy 2025.
Finally, talking about bowling, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami shall lead the pace bowling duties for Team India. For the third bowling option, India can opt for Kuldeep Yadav or Mohammed Siraj depending on the pitch conditions. If pitch assists spinners, then Kuldeep shall be the go-to man for Team India. Whereas for pace-friendly wickets, India shall opt for Mohammed Siraj.
Champions Trophy 2025 Team India Ideal Playing 11
- Rohit Sharma (c)
- Shubman Gill
- Virat Kohli
- Rishabh Pant (wk)
- KL Rahul
- Hardik Pandya
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Axar Patel
- Kuldeep Yadav
- Mohammed Shami
- Jasprit Bumrah
So, that’s about the ideal playing 11 for Team India for the Champions Trophy 2025. Overall, India will have two major dilemmas to work on. They will have to decide between Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer. Second, they will have to opt for batting depth or a wicket-taking bowler. It will be interesting to see what strategy India adopt with only 6 ODIs to go. The Champions Trophy 2025 schedule isn’t out yet for download, but the tournament shall be played in Feb and March.
