India's playing 11 for Champions Trophy 2025 picked; spinners dominate the team sheet
Published - 18 Feb 2025, 05:04 PM | Updated - 18 Feb 2025, 05:16 PM
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As the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to get underway on Wednesday (February 19), Sanjay Bangar has come forward to help the India National Cricket Team in selecting the ideal playing XI for their high-stakes encounters. The former batting coach predicted India’s playing XI for the mega event.
Speaking on Star Sports, Sanjay Bangar selected a strong 11 for the Men in Blue to take on the best teams in the world. He felt the combination he picked was more than enough for the Men in Blue to win the do-or-die matches in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
Sanjay Bangar picks India’s strongest XI for ICC Champions Trophy 2025
The former batting coach has selected five specialist batters, three all-rounders, one spin specialist, and two-seam bowling options. However, Bangar went with two spin-bowling all-rounders and one seam-bowling all-rounder for the prestigious tournament.
Well, the commentator has picked a strong top order with Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma opening, followed by the ever-reliable Virat Kohli at number 3. His middle order features Shreyas Iyer at 4 and KL Rahul at his usual batting position, No. 5. Bangar ignored Rishabh Pant as KL Rahul will also take the gloves for the Men in Blue in the tournament.
No place for Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, and Axar Patel in Sanjay Bangar's XI
The star all-rounder Hardik Pandya is slotted at No. 6 by the former coach to bring in the finishing power. Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja takes his place at No. 7, providing balance to the team with his left-arm spin and batting abilities in the lower middle order.
Washington Sundar, who is a left-handed batter and an off-spinner, has been picked at No. 8 by Bangar. The former cricketer’s spin attack is completed by Kuldeep Yadav, as there is no place for both Varun Chakravarthy and Axar Patel in his playing XI.
Bangar also ignored Harshit Rana, as he went with Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Shami in his pace attack to rattle the opposition. However, Dubai pitches usually support the pacers more than the spinners, but in the daytime, spinners can be lethal, and the Men in Blue can make the most of it.
Read Also: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Ravichandran Ashwin picks 4 semi-finalists
Here’s Sanjay Bangar’s India XI for the ICC Champions Trophy:
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, and Arshdeep Singh.
Meanwhile, the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is set to get underway on February 19 at the National Stadium in Karachi, with defending champions Pakistan facing New Zealand in the tournament opener.
The Men in Blue who are the 2017 runners-up, and two-time champions will kick off their campaign against Bangladesh on February 20 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai. The much-anticipated India vs Pakistan clash is set for Sunday, February 23.
On the other hand, the knockout stage will see the two semi-finals take place on March 4 in Dubai and March 5 in Lahore. The finale is scheduled for March 9, where the top two teams will battle for the prestigious trophy.
Kuldeep or Varun, Axar or Jadeja? 🤔
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 18, 2025
What combination should #TeamIndia go with in the do-or-die battles of the #ChampionsTrophy? #SanjayBangar predicts the playing XI 📝
📺📱 Start watching FREE on JioHotstar!#ChampionsTrophyOnJioStar 👉 #INDvBAN, THU 20 FEB, 1:30 PM on Star… pic.twitter.com/IbiMo3j6ih
