India's squad for the ICC Champions Trophy is yet to be announced, but speculations are steadily mounting as to which players will be selected. Amidst all this speculation, legendary offspinner Harbhajan Singh has picked his Indian team for the tournament.
In a huge surprise, Harbhajan dropped two key players who are still expected to play in the tournament. Those two players are Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul. While Harbhajan Singh picked leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal over Jadeja, he did not opt for KL Rahul, who has been one of the best performers for India in the format.
Harbhajan Singh picks India squad for Champions Trophy
The team seems experienced and capable enough to handle difficult situations. It will be led by Rohit Sharma, who is in the forefront to lead the team in the tour as well. Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are the other openers in the team with Gill leading the way opening alongside his captain.
The middle order looks solid with Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer. Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy have been picked as fast bowlers while Axar Patel is the only spin bowler in the squad. Surprisingly, KL Rahul was left out despite an excellent record in ODIs for India as a wicketkeeper.
The fast bowling looks in good form with Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj being the three pacers in the front line. However, Bumrah's fitness is yet to be considered as there is no update on his recovery yet.
Kuldeep Yadav is the front-line spinner while Yuzvendra Chahal also finds a place in the team ahead of all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja or any other fast bowler. Chahal didn't play in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy either and Harbhajan surprised everyone by picking him in his squad.
Harbhajan Singh unveils his India squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025! 🇮🇳🏆
What do you think of his choices? Would you make any changes to the line? 🤔📝#India #RohitSharma #ChampionsTrophy #Sportskeeda pic.twitter.com/Kq8LddXZVC
– Sportskeda (@Sportskeda) January 13, 2025
Harbhajan Singh picks Sanju Samson over Rishabh Pant
While speaking on his YouTube channel, Harbhajan Singh revealed that only one keeper will be chosen out of Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant. Backed Samson over Pant because of his exploits in the 2023 ODI series in South Africa.
“I think one of Sanju Samson or Rishabh Pant should be chosen. I think Sanju should be preferred because he played in South Africa. Rishabh played well in Australia but it was a long tour so if he is rested it is not a big thing,” said Harbhajan Singh.
Sanju Samson has been in great white-ball form for India recently. He hit two consecutive hundreds against Bangladesh and South Africa while opening the batting. In all, he has hit three hundreds in T20Is, which includes two against South Africa and one against Bangladesh.
Samson also has an excellent ODI record. The 30-year-old has scored 510 runs in 16 matches at an average of 56.66. Pant on the other hand did not play white ball cricket. from the series against Sri Lanka in July 2024.
Axar Patel over Ravindra Jadeja
Harbhajan Singh also picked Axar Patel over Ravindra Jadeja in his squad. He feels that Axar has enough experience to replace Ravindra Jadeja in the white-ball format after his performances in the T20Is in recent months.
“I chose Axar Patel over Ravindra Jadeja. I think Axar is ready to fill the role that Jadeja has done for so many years,” he added.
India will play all their Champions Trophy matches in Dubai after the Indian government denied the team permission to travel to Pakistan. The Men in Blue have been grouped with Bangladesh, New Zealand and hosts Pakistan in Group A.