India Squad for ICC Champions Trophy laid out; Rohit Sharma-Virat Kohli secure these spots

Former India opener Aakash Chopra has picked his Indian squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the preceding ODI series against England. Chopra included both the senior players Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli in the squad and feels that their experience will be handy for the team.

The Champions Trophy squad didn't have many surprises other than the selection of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Arshdeep Singh. While Jaiswal has yet to play an ODI, Arshdeep has played just 8 ODIs so far despite being a key member of India's T20I team.

The Champions Trophy 2025 squad has a good mix of youth and experience. It also features Mohammed Shami, who is yet to make his international comeback after his surgery early in 2024. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant have been selected as the two wicketkeepers.

Also read: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: ICC delegation makes a shocking landing in Karachi to review preparations

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli were included in Aakash Chopra's India squad for the Champions Trophy

While speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra started from the top and claimed that Rohit Sharma will make it to the Champions Trophy side despite his lean run recently. He backed Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill to be the other two openers in the Champions Trophy squad.

"Rohit Sharma as an opener and captain, without a shadow of a doubt. From the start of the 2023 ODI World Cup, he has played 14 innings and scored 754 runs at an average of 54, with a century and five half-centuries and a strike rate of nearly 130," Aakash Chopra explained.

"Shubman Gill's numbers have not been that good. Since the start of the World Cup, he has played 12 innings, has an average of 37.4, hasn't scored a century, has five half-centuries and 411 runs in total. Not good enough. Therefore, there is a case for Yashasvi Jaiswal. Whether he will be there in the XI or not, he should be in the team," he added.

The cricketer-turned-commentator also backed Virat Kohli as a no-brainer in the squad on the back of a fantastic ODI World Cup 2023 and picked Shreyas Iyer as the middle-order batter above Suryakumar Yadav.

"After that Virat Kohli, there is no doubt about that. He has scored his runs at an average of 74 in 14 innings and has scored three centuries. Although he didn't score runs in Sri Lanka, he still has an average of 74. Imagine how his World Cup would have been," Aakash Chopra noted.

"Suryakumar Yadav isn't there but Shreyas Iyer is. Since the start of the World Cup, he has scored 620 runs in 15 innings, with two centuries, at a strike rate of 112 and an average of 52. Iyer is on fire," the former India batter added.

Aakash Chopra didn't pick Suryakumar Yadav and Sanju Samson despite their superlative performances in T20I cricket recently. Both are vital parts of India's T20I squad but haven't been able to make a mark in ODIs.

KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant as wicketkeeper for ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Aakash Chopra named KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant as the two wicketkeepers in the squad. He feels that Rahul has an excellent record in ODIs as a middle-order batter and can become the team's first-choice keeper. Chopra also feels that Pant doesn't boast an excellent ODI record but will find a place here.

"KL Rahul was playing after that. From the start of the 2023 World Cup, he has scored 560 runs at an average of 56 in 14 innings. He has struck a century and three half-centuries. He will also be there in the team. He was playing as a keeper then and might play as a keeper now also," Aakash Chopra reckoned.

"Rishabh Pant didn't play the World Cup. What's his ODI record? He has scored his runs at a strike rate of 106 and an average of 33.5 with one century and five half-centuries. The numbers aren't great but he will come in the team in place of Ishan Kishan," he claimed.

Aakash Chopra picked Hardik Pandya as the only fast-bowling all-rounder in the Champions Trophy team. Pandya hasn't played much cricket lately and has been only featuring in India's T20I teams. However, he has started playing the Vijay Hazare Trophy recently to prepare himself for the 50-over games.

Strong bowling attack but subject to fitness

In terms of bowling, Aakash Chopra picked three spinners by looking at spin-friendly pitches in Dubai. Kuldeep Yadav was picked as the only specialist spinner while Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel were picked as spin bowling allrounders.

The fast bowling arsenal looks strong with Jasprit Bumrah leading the pack. Mohammed Shami was also picked as he is expected to be fully fit before the tournament. Arshdeep Singh is the only surprise pick but offers the team with a quality left-arm option.

"I am saying keep three spinners after Hardik Pandya - Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav. I will definitely keep three spinners although there will be a slight problem in Dubai. It will be slightly cold and there will be a little moisture. So spin might not be used that much but I still request you to take all three," Aakash Chopra said.

"After that, I have left Shardul Thakur out. So I have got Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, and Arshdeep Singh. Jasprit Bumrah shouldn't be spoken about. Mohammed Shami should 100 percent go if he is fit. He should play against England as well," he added.

If India manages to select this team for the Champions Trophy 2025 based on their fitness, they can be strong contenders for the title. However, the fitness of a few players is still a concern. While the batting looks more or less settled, the bowling can be impacted if any frontline bowler misses out.

Jasprit Bumrah got injured in the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and it remains to be seen whether he gets fit in time for ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Kuldeep Yadav is also returning from injury while Mohammed Shami is yet to play an international game after his surgery.