ICC Champions Trophy 2025: KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami dropped from India XI picked by Suresh Raina

Former batter Suresh Raina has picked his Indian playing XI for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to begin on February 19. Raina ignored senior players KL Rahul and Mohammed Shami and mentioned left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav as a trump card during the marquee event.

India are placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Bangladesh, and New Zealand. They will begin their campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on February 20. The Men in Blue will aim to maintain their strong record in the last two editions of the tournament, winning in 2013 and finishing as runners-up in 2017.

Kuldeep Yadav Is Going to Be Very Important – Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina said that Kuldeep Yadav could play a key role for India in group matches against Pakistan and New Zealand. He stated that Kuldeep will add a touch of mystery with his spin. Raina added that Kuldeep will force batters into risky shots, creating crucial wicket-taking opportunities.

"Kuldeep Yadav is going to be very important because Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja contain well in the middle overs, bowling stump to stump; and then Kuldeep can bring in his mystery spin, particularly against Pakistan who play the sweep shot well... New Zealand have a lot of left-handers. The kind of pressure Kuldeep can create and force the batters to go for the big shot, it can lead to wickets," said Raina on Star Sports [via The Times of India].

Kuldeep Yadav made a comeback from injury during the England series, where he took two wickets in two ODIs. He has been in outstanding ODI form since early 2023, taking 55 wickets in 35 matches at an impressive economy rate of 4.51. Kuldeep also played a crucial role in the 2024 T20 World Cup win.

Suresh Raina Leaves Out KL Rahul from India’s Playing XI

In the recent three-match ODI series, captain Rohit Sharma and head coach Gautam Gambhir opted for KL Rahul as the wicketkeeper over Rishabh Pant. Suresh Raina included Pant in his ideal playing XI, but he acknowledged that Rahul might continue as the wicketkeeper "because he looks in good form."

India will miss Jasprit Bumrah in the Champions Trophy after he was ruled out due to a back injury sustained during the Sydney Test in January. Pacer Harshit Rana has been named as his replacement. Suresh Raina said that Rana has the ability to bring variety with his slow bouncer and swing.

"Rana provides variation, has a slow bouncer, can swing it. Hardik Pandya will play an important role; we haven't used him much so far," said Raina.

Raina's India playing XI for Champions Trophy:

Suresh Raina's batting lineup for India’s playing XI showed no major surprises. However, he picked Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh as the two specialist pacers, leaving out veteran Mohammed Shami.

Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (wk), Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav

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