India's squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was announced during a press conference attended by captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar. Before the event started, Rohit Sharma hinted at another meeting regarding BCCI's new policies after the BGT loss.
India's national cricket team suffered back-to-back series defeats, including a 3-0 home whitewash against New Zealand and a 3-1 loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in Australia. Following these poor performances, India failed to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) for the first time.
The BCCI has introduced a strict 10-point policy for underperforming players
In response, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) introduced a strict 10-point policy for players. The new guidelines mandate participation in domestic cricket, restrict players from traveling separately and limit families from accompanying cricketers for more than 14 days on overseas tours.
A review meeting was held at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai following the poor performance of the Men in Blue in the Border-Gavaskar series in Australia. Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar attended the meeting, where top BCCI officials sought explanations for the team's disappointing results.
Reports from the five-Test tour of Australia also highlighted internal rifts in the team, with Gautam Gambhir's coaching style coming under scrutiny due to the team's struggles. Media reports suggest that the BCCI plans to review Gambhir's role after the ICC Champions Trophy, which begins on February 19.
Who told you about the rules? – Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma, while discussing the new rules with the chief selector, forgot that the microphone was on. The conversation was interrupted when the press conference began. Rohit mentioned that he would have to stay for two more hours and discuss the matter with the BCCI secretary as everyone was telling him about it.
“After the PC, we need to discuss the family rules with the secretary, all the players are calling me.”
pic.twitter.com/u9CyWaTJYy https://t.co/bXgY6iPKgd
— Pushkar (@Musafirr_Hu_yar) January 18, 2025
When a reporter asked Rohit Sharma about it, he replied, “Who told you about the rules? Did it come from any official source? Let the official come first.”
India's final squad for the Champions Trophy will depend on Jasprit Bumrah's fitness
India's final squad for the Champions Trophy will be based on the next three ODIs against England on February 6, 9 and 12. These will be their first 50-over matches since the Sri Lanka tour in August 2024. Notably, the International Cricket Council will allow squad changes until February 11.
Team India's group stage matches will be held in Dubai where they will face Bangladesh on February 20, Pakistan on February 23 and New Zealand on March 2. The Indian government refused to allow the team to travel to Pakistan due to security reasons, so all India's matches will be played in Dubai.