Captain Rohit Sharma and chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar during a press conference to announce the ODI squad for England and Champions Trophy at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on January 18, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini
The BCCI announced the 15-man squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, in Mumbai on Saturday (January 18, 2025).
BCCI chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar announced the 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy. Mohammed Shami and Kuldeep Yadav make a comeback in the Indian ODI squad. Mohammed Shami played white-ball cricket during the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.
Jasprit Bumrah was also named in the ICC Champions Trophy squad.
Harshit Rana will be the back-up reserve for the England ODI series as Jasprit Bumrah will miss out the first two matches due to an injury.
After his excellent show during the Border-Gavaskar trophy series, Yashasvi Jaiswal gets his ODI call.
India will be playing all their matches at the Champions Trophy in UAE as the government had refused permission for the team to travel to Pakistan.
The Champions Trophy will be starting on February 19 and India will be playing its first match against Bangladesh on February 20.
The team was announced by the chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and captain Rohit Sharma during a press conference in Mumbai. Head coach Gautam Gambhir was not present at the press conference.
The squad
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Washington Sundar, K.L. Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Yashasvi Jasiwal. Harshit Rana is the reserve player.
Bumrah won’t be available for first two ODIs against England, told to off-load: Agarkar
After announcing the squad, Ajit Agarkar said Jasprit Bumrah may not get fit for the first two ODIs against England, forcing them to name Harshit Rana as a replacement as they await an update from the medical team on the lead pacer.
The peerless fast bowler though was named in the squad for the Champions Trophy that follows the three-match rubber against England.
“Bumrah has been told to off-load for five weeks after and he won’t be available for the first two ODIs against England. We are waiting on his fitness and will know his status in early February from the medical team,” Agarkar said during a press conference which he addressed alongside India captain Rohit Sharma.
BCCI issues 10-point diktat for players
Cracking the whip on the Indian cricket team’s “star culture”, the BCCI on Thursday (January 16, 2025) unveiled a 10-point policy to promote “discipline and unity”, making domestic cricket mandatory, imposing restriction on the presence of families and personal staff on tours and banning individual commercial endorsements during ongoing series.
It is learnt that the restrictions were sought by head coach Gautam Gambhir in a review meeting of the team’s recent poor run.
Non-compliance would invite sanctions, including cuts in the players’ retainer fee from central contracts and a bar on participating in the cash-rich Indian Premier League.
The measures have been announced in the wake of the team’s disastrous tour of Australia during which it surrendered the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade. The debacle was preceded by a series whitewash against a relatively under-strength New Zealand at home.
The 10 diktats make it mandatory for players to seek Gambhir and chairman of selectors’ Ajit Agarkar’s approval for any relaxation, including the duration of stay for their families on tour.
(With inputs from PTI)
Published – January 18, 2025 03:03 pm IST
Content Source: www.thehindu.com