India’s final squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, beginning from February 19, sprung a few surprises as marquee pacer Jasprit Bumrah was snubbed for the tournament due to his back injury, as Harshit Rana replaced him in the team. Opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was part of the team in the earlier roster, was dropped as the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) wanted to make space for Yashasvi Jaiswal’s inclusion. The said changes, reportedly, were brough in on the recommendation of head coach Gautam Gambhir.

In total, India are now taking five spinners to Dubai for the Champions Trophy while the number of pacers in the team is only three. Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra raised quite a few valid questions as he shared his opinion on the selection of players for the ICC event.

“I thought Bumrah’s absence will force selectors to pick Siraj. Have 4 pacers in the squad. It’s also interesting to note how quickly the plan to play Yashasvi in the XI ahead of Iyer is abandoned…to the extent that Yashasvi isn’t even a part of the CT squad,” he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

I thought Bumrah’s absence will force selectors to pick Siraj. Have 4 pacers in the squad.

It’s also interesting to note how quickly the plan to play Yashasvi in the XI ahead of Iyer is abandoned…to the extent that Yashasvi isn’t even a part of the CT squad.

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) February 12, 2025

Chopra doesn’t feel India needed five spinners for the Champions Trophy, especially keeping in mind that the team will be playing its matches in Dubai, a venue that hasn’t aides spinners statistically in recent times.

“India has picked 5 spinners for Champions Trophy. FIVE. Sharjah would be an ideal venue for this squad. Spin To Win. Dubai?? Not so sure. That surface hasn’t helped spinners as much…ever. Also, I really hope that Kuldeep isn’t benched for Varun. Play both if you must…but Kuldeep has to be India’s premier spinner,” another post from Chopra read.

India has picked 5 spinners for Champions Trophy. FIVE.

Sharjah would be an ideal venue for this squad. Spin To Win.

Dubai?? Not so sure. That surface hasn’t helped spinners as much…ever.

Also, I really hope that Kuldeep isn’t benched for Varun. Play both if you must…but…

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) February 12, 2025

Even in the batting unit, India’s squad looks a little thin with the removal of Jaiswal. Rishabh Pant, as per the playing XI for the 2nd ODI against England, remains the only ‘cover’ in the batting unit.

With India 2-0 up, as many as three players found a spot each in India’s playing XI for the third and final ODI against England. Yet, wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant found no place in the team for the dead rubber. Pant, who was added to India’s squad not just for the ODI series against England but also for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. After India won the first two matches, changes were expected to be made with the team. While India skipper Rohit Sharma did announce multiple swaps in the playing XI, KL Rahul continued to be persisted for the role behind the stumps as Pant warmed the bench.

It was England skipper Jos Buttler who won the toss and opted to field first. Rohit, however, confirmed that he wanted to bat first anyway. Hence, both captains got what they wanted.

“I wanted to bat first and put runs on the board because we bowled first in the last two games. It was important for us to get a win in the last game. The fielders portrayed themselves well in the last two games, a lot of young blood. We want to continue to do well in the field. They are pretty new in their careers so we want to keep the pressure away from them, let them do their own and they have got a lot of potential.

Rohit announced that Shami and Jadeja were rested for the match but Varun couldn’t participate due to a sore calf issue. Hence, India had to make three changes.

“We have made some changes – Jadeja and Shami have been rested, unfortunately, Varun has a sore calf. So, Washi, Kuldeep, and Arshdeep come into the side,” Rohit said at the time of toss,” said the skipper.

“We are gonna bowl first today. (On whether the expected dew has influenced his decision to bowl first) A little bit maybe, it may spin a bit later. We have batted first in the first two games so it will be a different experience today ahead of the Champions Trophy. It’s a decent wicket, we played New Zealand in the World Cup a few years ago, it was a black soil pitch and it played better in the second half. We have one change – Tom Banton comes in for Jamie Overton into the side,” the England skipper said after the toss. 

India Playing XI: Rohit Sharma(c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul(w), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh

England Playing XI: Philip Salt(w), Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler(c), Tom Banton, Liam Livingstone, Gus Atkinson, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Saqib Mahmood

Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of India’s squad for the Champions Trophy 2025, BCCI confirmed late on Tuesday night. After a long wait over his fitness status, post suffering a back injury, India’s pace spearhead has been finally confirmed to miss the tournament. The 23-year-old pacer Harshit Rana was named as Bumrah’s replacement in the final 15-man squad. In another selection twist, young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal was also left out of the final squad, with 33-year-old mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy being named in his place.

“Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy due to a lower back injury. The Men’s Selection Committee has named Harshit Rana as Bumrah’s replacement. Team India have also named Varun Chakaravarthy in the squad. The spinner will replace Yashasvi Jaiswal who was initially named in the provisional squad,” the BCCI said in a release.

Having suffered a back injury during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Bumrah had been advised five weeks of rest as confirmed by chief selector Ajit Agarkar. However, the 31-year-old seamer has not been able to recover in time.

Pacer Harshit Rana was handed his ODI debut during the series against England, where he has picked up four wickets in two games.

Yashasvi Jaiswal out, Varun Chakaravarthy in

The other big change to India’s roster comes in the form of opener Yashasvi Jaiswal being dropped from the final squad, with mystery spinner Varun Chakaravarthy taking his spot.

Both Jaiswal and Chakaravarthy had been handed their ODI debuts during the series against England.

Chakaravarthy forced his way into contention after imperious form during the T20I series against England, where he picked up 14 wickets in five games, being named the ‘Player of the Series’.

Jaiswal was India’s top run-scorer across all formats in 2024, but has only played one ODI to date, with most of his runs coming in Test cricket.

Non-travelling substitutes

Team India have named three non-travelling substitutes, in case of injury, in the form of Jaiswal, pacer Mohammed Siraj and all-rounder Shivam Dube.

“Fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy due to a lower back injury. The Men’s Selection Committee has named Harshit Rana as Bumrah’s replacement. Team India have also named Varun Chakaravarthy in the squad. The spinner will replace Yashasvi Jaiswal who was initially named in the provisional squad,” the BCCI said in a release.

India’s squad for ICC Champions Trophy, 2025: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill (Vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.

Non Travelling substitutes: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Mohammed Siraj and Shivam Dube. The three players will travel to Dubai as and when required.

Star batter Rinku Singh is set to make his return to India’s playing XI for the crucial 4th T20I against England in Cuttack on Friday. After featuring in the series-opener in Kolkata, Rinku sat out the last two games in Chennai and Rajkot, respectively, owing to back spasms. However, on the eve of the game in Cuttack, India assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate confirmed that Rinku will be available for selection, having looked in good rhythm while batting in the nets on a day earlier.

“Rinku is fit. He played the first game, hurt himself and missed the next two. But I would imagine Rinku comes back in as soon as he’s proper fit. He batted the other night and I think he’ll be ready to go tomorrow,” Ten Doeschate said during a pre-match press conference on Thursday.

Rinku’s likely inclusion would be a major boost for the Indian team as it looks to wrap up the series on Friday ahead of the fifth and final game in Mumbai on Sunday.

If the team management does decide to ship Rinku into the playing XI, young wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel is likely to make the way. Unlike Jurel, Rinku is likely to bat higher up the order and will provide more stability in the middle-order.

It is highly unlikely that India will make any other change. Sanju Samson and Abhishek Sharma will continue to open, while Tilak Varma‘s match-winning knock in Chennai has earned him a longer rope in the team.

Mohammed Shami needs a lot of bowling in match situations and the Rajkot game was a decent restart to his international career without being spectacular. For continuity, the management is likely to persist with the veteran for this game at least. 

India’s Likely XI For 4th T20I vs England:

Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (C), Rinku Singh, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel (VC), Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami and Varun Chakravarthy

Sanju Samson, from behind the stumps, was an energetic presence for India against England in the third T20I in Rajkot on Tuesday.  He even convinced India captain Suryakumar Yadav in taking a DRS which turned out to be the right call. On the final ball of the 10th over, Buttler went for a reverse sweep against Varun Chakravarthy. The ball was positioned very close to the gloves and Samson grabbed it. The wicketkeeper started appealing and celebrating. He was the only Indian player who looked animated. The on-field umpire gave him not out. But Samson kept persisting and SKY relented after a while. Even Chakravarthy, the bowler, was not as convinced as Samson.

But ultimately, Samson’s decision was right.

#VarunChakaravarthy breaks the partnership!

A successful review by #TeamIndia and #JosButtler has to walk back!

Start watching FREE on Disney+ Hotstar: https://t.co/cA9YJDYNul#INDvENGOnJioStar 3rd T20I LIVE NOW on Disney+ Hotstar & Star Sports! | #KhelAasmani pic.twitter.com/8AUu2FMPOU

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) January 28, 2025

Meanwhile, Mohammed Shami made a solid comeback to international cricket after 14 months but it was Varun Chakravarthy’s bowling effort that stood out as his five-wicket haul helped India limit England to 171/9 in the third T20 here on Tuesday.

England lost their way after a whirlwind fifty from Ben Duckett (51 off 28) as the in-form Chakravarthy ran through the opposition batting on a flat track.

From 83 for one, England slipped to 127 for eight before Liam Livingstone (43 off 24) went on a six-hitting spree to end the innings on a high.

Chakravarthy completed his second five-wicket haul in T20s when he bowled Jofra Archer with a googly.

While Ravi Bishnoi (4/46 in 4 overs) and Washington Sundar (0/15 in 1) proved expensive, Chakravarthy (5/24 in four) and Axar Patel (1/19 in 3) kept things tight from their end.

After being put in to bat, England made a promising start by coasting to 52/1.

England have struggled against the Indian spinners in the series but Duckett overcame that challenge with some audacious strokeplay on way to his second T20 fifty. He danced down the track, employed the scoop and reverse hits to unsettle the opposition attack.

He was the aggressor in his 76-run stand with skipper Jos Buttler (24 off 22) but the duo fell in quick succession to lose the momentum in the middle overs. Among the shots Duckett pulled off included a scoop over the keeper’s head off Shami’s second over.

Indian spinner Varun Chakravarthy continued his solid run of form in international cricket, breaking Kuldeep Yadav‘s record for most wickets by an Indian spinner in a stretch of T20I matches. Chakravarthy has been a revelation for the T20I side since his return to the set-up last year, having last played for India in 2021 before that. During the third T20I, Chakravarthy shined with figures of 5/24 in four overs, getting wickets of skipper Jos Buttler, Jamie Smith, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer, which completely derailed England from 83/1 to 127/8.

Now since his return to T20Is last year, Varun has played 10 matches, taking 27 wickets at an average of 10.96, an economy rate of 7.40 and best bowling figures of 5/17. After 16 overall games, he has taken 29 wickets at an average of 14.65, with an economy rate of 6.84, which is also impressive.

With his five-wicket haul, Varun Chakravarthy reached 10 wickets in the series. Chakravarthy is now the first player to take 10 wickets in a single bilateral T20I series between India and England.

Now, he has overtaken Kuldeep Yadav (25 wickets) for most wickets by an Indian spinner in the 10-match stretch in T20Is. Globally, he stands at number three, next to Syazrul Idrus (Malaysia, 28 wickets) and Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan (Afghanistan, 30 wickets).

Coming to the match, India won the toss and opted to bowl first. Despite a fine 76-run stand between Ben Duckett (51 in 28 balls, with seven fours and two sixes) and skipper Buttler (24 in 22 balls, with a four and six), England lost wickets to spinners regularly. Despite a fighting 43 in 28 balls by Liam Livingstone (one four and five sixes), England could score just 171/9 in their 20 overs.

Chakravarthy (5/24) was the top wicket-taker for India, with Hardik Pandya getting two wickets as well. Ravi Bishnoi and Axar Patel also got a wicket each.

Indian batters faltered against an incisive England bowling attack as the visitors raised their game in a must-win scenario to win the third T20I by 26 runs and keep the five-match series alive on Tuesday. Mohammed Shami made a solid comeback to international cricket after 14 months but it was Varun Chakravarthy’s bowling effort that stood out as his five-wicket haul helped India limit England to 171/9. India should have chased down the target but the batters could only manage 145/9 in 20 overs. India still lead the series 2-1 with the fourth game scheduled in Pune on January 31.

While express pace combine of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood did the job in the powerplay, Adil Rashid applied the choke in the middle overs with a skillful display of leg-spin.

Unsettled by the extra pace of Archer in the first two games, Sanju Samson (3 off 6) fell to the England pacer once again while trying to hit a short of length ball out of the park.

His opening partner Abhishek Sharma (24 off 14) played some crisp shots before falling to Brydon Carse.

Suryakumar Yadav (14 off 7) started with a trademark pick up shot off Archer that went all the way but a similar shot attempted off Wood brought about his downfall, extending his lean run.

The turning point of India’s innings was the dismissal of Tilak Varma (18 off 14) who had returned not out in his last four outings including two hundreds and a half-century.

It took a special ball from Rashid to send back Varma as the leg-spinner got one to turn sharply from outside the off-stump and crash into the middle stump.

Hardik Pandya (40 off 35) took the game deep but was not able to take his team over the line.

Earlier, England lost their way after a whirlwind fifty from Ben Duckett (51 off 28) as the in-form Chakravarthy ran through the opposition batting on a flat track.

From 83 for one, England slipped to 127 for eight before Liam Livingstone (43 off 24) went on a six-hitting spree to end the innings on a high.

Chakravarthy completed his second five-wicket haul in T20s when he bowled Jofra Archer with a googly.

While Ravi Bishnoi (4/46 in 4 overs) and Washington Sundar (0/15 in 1) proved expensive, Chakravarthy (5/24 in four), Hardik (33/2 in 4) and Axar Patel (1/19 in 3) kept things tight from their end.

Shami (0/25 in 3) did not set the stage on first but it was important that he had an incident free outing After being put in to bat, England made a promising start by coasting to 52/1.

England have struggled against the Indian spinners in the series but Duckett overcame that challenge with some audacious strokeplay on way to his second T20 fifty. He danced down the track, employed the scoop and reverse hits to unsettle the opposition attack.

He was the aggressor in his 76-run stand with skipper Jos Buttler (24 off 22) but the duo fell in quick succession to lose the momentum in the middle overs. Among the shots Duckett pulled off included a scoop over the keeper’s head off Shami’s second over.

When Shami marked his run up before toss, it was confirmed that he would be playing his first international since the ODI World Cup final in November 2023.

On a flat track, Shami, who replaced Arshdeep Singh as the sole specialist pacer in the playing eleven, was tasked with bowling the opening over of the match.

He induced a couple of play and misses in his opening spell that read 0/15 in two overs. Shami returned to bowl the 19th over which went for 11 runs, capping off an incident free outing.

He bowled balls close to 140kmph and got the ball to shape away, allaying concerns over his fitness.

At 83 for one, England were on course for 200 with Duckett going all guns blazing and deep batting line-up to follow.

However, the momentum shifted India’s way when Chakravarthy had Buttler caught behind with the latter getting a faint tickle attempting a reverse sweep.

Duck was holed out at deep mid-wicket in the following over from Axar, leaving England at 87 for three at the halfway mark.

Chakravarthy removed Jamie Smith and Jamie Overton off successive balls in the 14th over to make matters worse for England.

Harry Brook was undone by Varun Chakravarthy twice© BCCI/Sportzpics