India’s possible squad for Champions Trophy: 11 players confirmed to play in ODI World Cup; Surya-Ishaan will have to be replaced

11 players confirmed to play in ODI World Cup India played only 6 ODIs after the end of the 2023 ODI World Cup. Of these also, senior players were a part of only 3. India had won all the matches in the World Cup except the final. Considering so few matches played after the tournament, it seems that the Champions Trophy team will also be similar to the ODI World Cup team.

However, Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Shardul Thakur and Ravichandran Ashwin may be out of this team. Ashwin has retired, while Shardul has not been selected in the team since Gautam Gambhir became the coach. On the other hand, Surya and Ishaan have got their cards removed from the ODI team due to poor form and behaviour. In such a situation, the team management will have to rack their brains to find replacements for these players.

Openers: Rohit-Shubman pair will start again The pair of captain Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill seems to be once again cementing their place in the ODI team. Both have made an opening partnership of 1732 runs at an average of 72.16 in 25 matches since 2023. In the last two years, no other pair has scored more opening partnership runs than both of them.

There also seems to be a need for a backup opener to support both. If any player gets injured then the backup player will be able to open in his place. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s name is currently at the top for this position. However, he has not made his ODI debut yet. The team’s permanent wicketkeeper batsman KL Rahul can also play the role of backup opener.

Middle order: Backbone of Kohli-Shreyas team Virat Kohli, who has scored the most centuries in the history of ODI cricket, will retain his place at number-3 position. He scored the most runs in the last ICC ODI tournament by scoring 3 centuries. He will be supported by Shreyas Iyer at number-4, who holds the record of scoring a century on the fewest number of balls in the knockout stage of an ICC tournament.

Wicketkeeper: Who is Rahul’s backup? KL Rahul is the first choice wicketkeeper batsman of the team, he was also the best wicketkeeper batsman among the 10 teams of the ODI World Cup. Leaving aside the final, he also played many important innings in the remaining matches. However, the team also needs Rahul’s backup, because most teams take at least 2 wicketkeepers in their squad.

There are options of Sanju Samson, Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan to support Rahul. Ishaan did not get a chance in Team India since the World Cup. The last debate will be between Samson and Pant only. Pant has so far scored 871 runs in 31 ODIs at an average of 33.50. Whereas Samson has 510 runs in his name in 16 ODIs at an average of 56.66. The positive thing about Samson is that he has scored 3 centuries in international white ball cricket in the last 3 months.

All-rounder: Who will get a chance with Hardik-Jadeja? Hardik Pandya is the team’s first choice all-rounder, along with batting at number 6, he also bowls 10 overs. Ravindra Jadeja’s name is at number-7. Jaddu also bowls 10 overs with left arm spin and bats as per requirement.

The team management can choose 1 or 2 players to support them. The names of Akshar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar and Riyan Parag can be considered for this position. Akshar is a senior player, while Nitish impressed with his all-round skills during the Australia tour. Along with batting in the lower order, Parag and Sundar also do spin bowling.

Spinner: Which spinner will Kuldeep get support from? Kuldeep Yadav had undergone surgery in November last year, after which he started bowling in the nets this month. If he is successful in regaining his fitness then he will definitely enter the team. However, if he is not fit then the team will have to choose another player in his place.

Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal and Varun Chakraborty are options to replace Kuldeep. Chahal is the best among the three bowlers with 121 wickets in 72 ODIs, although he has not played any ODI for 2 years. On the other hand, Bishnoi has played only one ODI so far, while Varun has not even been able to make his ODI debut.

Pacers: Bumrah’s fitness is the biggest concern Jasprit Bumrah played 9 tests in the last 4 months, due to which he complained of back injury. He is currently undergoing treatment at NCA, BCCI is waiting for his fitness report. It is being said in media reports that Bumrah will not be able to play group stage matches. In which the team has to face against Pakistan and New Zealand.

If Bumrah is fit, he will join the team. He will again have the support of Mohammed Siraj and Mohammed Shami. Siraj is not injured at the moment, but he has participated in most of the team’s matches in the last 2 years. On the other hand, Shami is still recovering from injury. How fit he is will be known only in the T-20 series against England starting from January 22.

What will happen if Bumrah is not fit? If Bumrah is not fit, the team will have to take extra pacers and some reserve pacers to UAE. It is not possible for any team to replace Bumrah. Still, among the pace bowling options that India has, the names of Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Avesh Khan, Khalil Ahmed and Akashdeep are on top. Any of these players can replace Bumrah.

India’s possible playing-11

Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah.