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India’s squad for the International Champions Trophy is yet to be announced, but speculation is growing about the players to be selected. Amid all these speculations, legendary off-spinner Harbhajan Singh has chosen his Indian team for the tournament.
Surprisingly, Harbhajan dropped two key players who were still expected to play in the tournament. The two players are Ravindra Jadeja and KL Rahul. While Harbhajan Singh picked leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal over Jadeja, he did not pick KL Rahul, one of India’s best performers in the tournament.
Harbhajan Singh picks Indian team for Champions League trophy
This team looks experienced and capable enough to handle difficult situations. The team will be led by Rohit Sharma, who will also lead the charge from the front in the tournament. Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal are the other openers in the team, with Gill being the front-runner to start alongside the captain.
The middle order looks solid with Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer. Hardik Pandya and Nitish Kumar Reddy have been picked as fast bowling all-rounders while Axar Patel is the only one in the team Spin bowling all-rounder. Surprisingly, KL Rahul has been left out despite his excellent record in ODIs as a keeper in India.
The fast bowling looks to be in good form with Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Siraj being the three frontline pacers. However, Bumrah’s fitness is yet to be considered as there is no update on his recovery status.
Kuldeep Yadav is the frontline spinner while Yuzvendra Chahal also features in the team ahead of all-rounder Ravindra Jha Ravindra Jadeja or any other fast bowler. Chahal is also not playing in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy and Harbhajan surprised everyone by picking him in his squad.
Harbhajan Singh reveals his India squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025! 🇮🇳🏆
What do you think of his choice? Will you make any changes to the lineup? 🤔📝#India #rohitsharma #championshiptrophy #Sportskeeda pic.twitter.com/Kq8LddXZVC
— Sportskeda (@Sportskeda) January 13, 2025
Harbhajan Singh chooses Sanju Samson over Rishabh Pant
Harbhajan Singh while speaking on his YouTube channel revealed that a wicketkeeper will be selected from Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant. He backed Samson over Pant due to his performance in the 2023 ODI series in South Africa.
“I think one of Sanju Samson or Rishabh Pant should be chosen. I feel Sanju should be the first choice as he has played in South Africa. Rishabh has played well in Australia but it is a long tour so if he “It’s a big deal,” Harbhajan Singh said.
Sanju Samson has been in great form in the white-ball format for India in recent times. He hit two consecutive hundreds against Bangladesh and South Africa. Overall, he has scored 300 runs in T20Is, including 2 against South Africa and 1 against Bangladesh.
Samson also has an excellent ODI record. The 30-year-old has scored 510 points in 16 games with an average of 56.66. Pant, on the other hand, has yet to play white-ball cricket. Since the series against Sri Lanka in July 2024.
Axar Patel defeated Ravindra Jadeja
Harbhajan Singh also picked Axar Patel over Ravindra Jadeja in his squad. He feels that Axar has enough experience to replace Ravindra Jadeja in the white-ball games after his performance in T20Is over the past few months.
“I chose Axar Patel over Ravindra Jadeja. I think Axar is ready to fulfill the role that Jadeja has played over the years,” he added.
The Indian team will play all Champions League matches in Dubai after the Indian government refused to allow the team to travel to Pakistan. The Men in Blue are in Group A with Bangladesh and New Zealand and will face Pakistan in Group A.
