Former batting coach Sanjay Bangar has named India's playing XI for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match against Bangladesh. Sanjay Bangar has picked Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah as the main seamers, assuming both are fit and available, with Mohammed Shami as the back-up cutter.
Mohammed Shami had problems with his right heel in the ODI World Cup 2023. After the tournament, he underwent surgery and took a year off to recover. He missed major events like the home Test series against England, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the IPL and the T20 World Cup. Shami has fully recovered now.
Mohammed Shami is not a starter for me – Sanjay Bangar
During a chat on Star Sports show 'Follow the Blues', Sanjay Bangar picked his preferred XI for the match against Bangladesh. He stated that if both Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah are fit, Mohammed Shami could be left out of the playing XI.
“He removes one of the fast bowlers. If Arshdeep and Bumrah are both available then you can afford to drop someone like a Shami. So for me, Shami is not a starter,” Bangar said.
After proving his fitness in domestic cricket for Bengal, Shami was included in the squad for the five-match T20I series against England. He was also included in the 15-member squad for the prestigious tournament. India will play their first match against Bangladesh on February 20 in Dubai.
Rishabh Pant may be benched – Sanjay Bangar
The former India batsman said that either Ravindra Jadeja or Axar Patel might not make the final XI. Bangar pointed out that Rishabh Pant could find himself on the bench for India's 2025 Champions Trophy opener.
“Then one between Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel and a back-up keeper. So in that case, Rishabh Pant can be benched,” observes Bangar.
“My OL would be Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh,” he said.
He has gained fitness and is ready to play – Sanjay Bangar
During the interaction, Sanjay Bangar said that Ajit Agarkar was confident about Mohammed Shami's fitness. Bangar noted that India's bowling attack looks strong with the return of Shami along with Kuldeep Yadav. He highlighted Shami's consistent efforts across all three formats for his national team.
“The bowling looks very, very good with Shami back and Kuldeep back. Shami, as you know, was working from one format to another, where he played in three formats for his national team,” he replied.
“So it is a clear indication that over a period of time he has gained fitness and is ready to play the number of overs that are required to be played at high intensity. So it should play most games right from the start. first match against England and the more games he plays the better he gets because that's what history suggests about Mohammed Shami,” argued Bangar.
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