Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav have been included in India’s provisional 15-man squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, starting February 19 in Pakistan and the UAE.
The same squad will take on England in three ODIs in early February, with Harshit Rana coming in as a back-up for Bumrah, who may not be ready for the first two matches of the bilateral series. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar stated that the team management will keep an eye on Bumrah’s fitness in the lead-up to the tournament.
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There were injury concerns over both Bumrah and Kuldeep ahead of the selection on Saturday, with Kuldeep not having played any competitive cricket since his hernia surgery in November, while Bumrah had suffered a stress-related injury during the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Sydney.
The only notable omission from the Rohit Sharma-led squad is pacer Mohammed Siraj, who was replaced by left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh, rewarded for ending as the highest wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and impressive performances in international cricket – he was the top wicket-taker in India’s ODI series in South Africa in 2023.
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill has been named vice-captain of the ODI side which also includes the in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal for the first time in his career. He is likely to be the reserve opener for the Champions Trophy that India will be aiming to win for a third time after emerging victorious in the 2002 and 2013 editions.
Mohammed Shami, who was recently picked for the preceding T20I series against England, starting January 22, following a long injury layoff, was also named in the Champions Trophy squad. He last played international cricket at the 2023 ODI World Cup, where he was the tournament’s highest wicket-taker with 24 wickets.
With Virat Kohli set to take the No.3 place, the middle order presents a similar look as the 2023 ODI World Cup side, with Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul retaining their spots, along with all-rounder Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel. Washington Sundar is the fourth all-rounder picked in the squad.
Rahul is also likely to double up as the frontline wicketkeeper in the team that includes Rishabh Pant as the back-up option. Sanju Samson, who did not take part in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, did not find a place in the squad.
The final squad for the Champions Trophy must be submitted to the ICC by February 11.
India play three bilateral ODIs against England on February 6, 9 and 12 – their first 50-over games since the tour of Sri Lanka in August last year – before the Champions Trophy.
India are in Group A in the Champions Trophy and begin their campaign against Bangladesh on February 20, after which they play Pakistan on February 23, and New Zealand on March 2. India will play all their matches in Dubai after refusing to travel to Pakistan for security reasons.
Squad for Champions Trophy: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.
