Indian captain Rohit Sharma is ready to lead the national team in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, and he is eyeing lifting the trophy. 

India recently had a poor run as the Rohit Sharma-led team lost the three-match home Test series against New Zealand and a 3-1 series defeat in the five-match Test series in Australia, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25. 

In this tough moment, Indian fans are desperate for success in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The Indian captain has also shown this attitude, which can bring some confidence to the Indian cricket fans. 

See Also: Rohit Sharma’s Fun Moment: Invites Shreyas Iyer for a Dance at Wankhede’s 50th Party

India will play ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in the UAE

Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will host the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. India will play all their matches in the tournament in Dubai, UAE. They will start from Group A, where they will face Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand. While the top two teams from each group will advance to the Semi-finals, India are looking to reach the Final and lift the trophy.

We will try: Indian captain Rohit Sharma about ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Rohit Sharma was present at the celebration of 50 years of Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, which experienced many great stories, including India winning the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

In the celebratory moment, Indian captain Rohit said, “We will try our best. It is always a dream to represent the Indian team in any ICC trophy. We will embark on another dream. I am sure that when we will reach Dubai, 140 crore people will be behind us. We will try to do everything we can to bring the trophy back again at Wankhede."

#WATCH | Wankhede Stadium's 50th anniversary: Maharashtra | Ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Indian Men's cricket team captain Rohit Sharma says, "We will try our best. It is always a dream to represent the Indian team in any ICC trophy. We will embark on another dream. I… pic.twitter.com/RmK3pKJdA8

— ANI (@ANI) January 19, 2025

ICC Champions Trophy: India have rich records

India have recorded two ICC Champions Trophy successes, including one joint-winner. India have played four ICC Champions Trophy Finals where lost the 2000 edition against New Zealand, jointly won the 2002 edition with the hosts Sri Lanka after two days of rain interruption, won the 2013 edition after beating the hosts England, and lost the 2017 edition against Pakistan. 

While the BCCI announced the full member squads for the upcoming home ODI series against England and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 last Saturday (January 18), former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has questioned the spinners' choice. 

After the end of the five-match home T20I series against England, India will play a three-match home ODI series against England before beginning their journey in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on February 20. While both the ODI squads are the same (except for Harshit Rana’s possible inclusion only for the England series if Jasprit Bumrah remains unfit), India have four spinners with the names of Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Kuldeep Yadav.

See Also: Inside the Lengthy Meeting: Debates on Vice-Captain and Wicketkeeper Selections

You could have picked a fast bowler: Aakash Chopra

Out of four spinners, three are known as all-rounders, while Kuldeep Yadav is the only complete spinner. Former Indian cricketer and present commentator, Aakash Chopra, feels that India could add one more fast bowler or regular spinner like Varun Chakaravarthy, instead of three spin-bowling all-rounders. 

Chopra commented on his YouTube account, "The one overriding thought or theme was who all can bat because you need a batter at No. 8. So you picked Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar. You could have picked a fast bowler instead of that, and if you needed a spinner only, then you could have picked Varun Chakaravarthy. I see two of the three spin-bowling all-rounders, who all bat left-handed, playing." 

All three are defensive options in ODI cricket

Chopra feels that three spin-bowling all-rounders are the defensive options in ODI cricket. He has experienced a lack of confidence in Indian batting in the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia.

Chopra added, "All three are defensive options in ODI cricket. We consistently saw a slight lack of confidence in batting in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. We needed a batter at No. 8. So we are picking bowlers who can bat, and I feel it's the same theme this time as well, which is not a great thing because you have to show confidence in your batting. You have to pick bowlers who take wickets."

Aakash Chopra also pointed out Dubai pitches

While Pakistan is hosting the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, India will play all their matches in Dubai. Chopra also claimed that the Dubai pitches weren’t helpful for the spinners while little dew could also play a key factor, and more fast bowlers would be useful for India in those scenarios. 

The former Indian opener added that although the balls could stay low, the used pitches couldn’t bring much cracks. 

The senior men’s national selection committee announced the complete squads for the upcoming home ODI series against England and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. 

England are ready to tour India for a five-match T20I series and a three-match ODI series before both teams will travel for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. While Pakistan will host the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, India will play all their matches in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The home ODI series will begin on February 6, while the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will begin on February 19 and India will start on February 20 with the Group A match against Bangladesh.

Harshit Rana may be available only for the England ODI series if Bumrah remains unfit

While the Indian squads are the same for both the England ODI series and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, only Harshit Rana is a difference who will only be present in the home ODI series against England, if Jasprit Bumrah remains unfit. The Test vice-captain is doubtful at least for the first two matches of the ODI series, while he is likely to be fit before the beginning of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Nagpur, Cuttack, and Ahmedabad will host the three ODIs against England on February 6, 9, and 12, respectively. 

See Also: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Complete Fixtures Announced

India are ready for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025

The two-time ICC Champions Trophy winners (including the joint winner in the 2002 edition along with Sri Lanka), India will start the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 journey with the Group A match against Bangladesh on February 20 in Dubai. India will play all their matches in Dubai, while Pakistan and New Zealand will challenge them on February 23 and March 2, respectively. 

If India qualify for the Semi-finals after finishing in the top two of the Group A points table, they will play the Semi-final on March 4. While Lahore is ready to host the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Final on March 9, Dubai will host it if India advance to the Final. 

Apart from finishing as the joint-winners with the hosts Sri Lanka in the 2002 edition, India won the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 after beating the hosts England in the Final. India have also played two more Finals in the ICC Champions Trophy history, where they lost against New Zealand in the 2000 edition and Pakistan in the last edition in 2017. 

Complete Indian squad for the England ODI series

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah (subject to fitness)/Harshit Rana (for England ODI series if Bumrah remains unfit), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk). 

Complete Indian squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk). 

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is almost a month away, which Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will host the tournament. Although India will play all their matches in Dubai, Indian captain Rohit Sharma may still have to travel to Pakistan for the tournament. 

ICC Champions Trophy 2025: India will not play in Pakistan

Pakistan has the hosting rights for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Eight teams will participate in this tournament between February 19 and March 9, 2025. These teams are Pakistan, India, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Australia, England, South Africa, and Afghanistan. While all other teams are ready for the Pakistan tour, India ultimately refused to travel to Pakistan.

Finally, it was decided that India would play all their matches in Dubai. India are in Group A with Pakistan, Bangladesh, and New Zealand. 

The Final of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 has been scheduled for Lahore on March 9. However, if India qualify for the Final, the tournament finale will be organised in Dubai.

See Also: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Complete Fixtures Announced

Why may Rohit Sharma still have to travel to Pakistan?

There is a practice for every ICC tournament, where all captains join in the photoshoot with the trophy just before the beginning of a tournament. Also, all captains then follow the press conference. 

Although there is no official confirmation yet, Pakistan has the hosting rights, so there is a chance of organising a photoshoot and press conference in Pakistan. In this case, the Indian captain Rohit Sharma may have to travel to Pakistan.

However, if the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) come up with any other idea, like hosting the photoshoot and press conference in the UAE, the Indian captain doesn’t need to travel to Pakistan. 

As the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) already clarified not to travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the second theory is a big possibility that the Indian skipper Rohit Sharma may not need to travel to Pakistan. 

Meanwhile, the BCCI is yet to announce the probable squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. 

New Zealand became the first team to announce the full squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, as the New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has announced a 15-member squad for the tournament on Sunday (January 12). 

New Zealand is set for the Pakistan tour, which will include an ODI tri-series against the hosts Pakistan and South Africa before the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will host the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 from February 19 to March 9, 2025. The single round-robin ODI tri-series will begin on February 8, with the tournament Final date of February 14. Before the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, New Zealand will also play a warm-up match against Afghanistan in Karachi.

New Zealand are in Group A of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, along with Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. 

While the NZC has announced the 15-member squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the same squad will be available for the ODI tri-series. The squad was announced at a special event at the Pullman Hotel in Auckland.

See Also: New vice-captain of team India: Hero of T20 World Cup Final

ICC Champions Trophy 2025: New Zealand squad - Kane Williamson and Lockie Ferguson return with one stand-by name

Former New Zealand captain Kane Williamson and the 33-year-old New Zealand fast bowler Lockie Ferguson have returned to the ODI squad, who last played in November 2023 during the Semi-final against the hosts India in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Mitchell Santner will continue his leadership role in the ODI format.

Fast bowler Matt Henry, who just won the Player of the Series award in the home ODI series against Sri Lanka, will play an important role in the pace-bowling unit along with Ferguson. 

However, if Ferguson remains unavailable for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 due to his ILT20 play-off commitments, the stand-by player for the tournament, Jacob Duffy will replace him. 

Well depth in every aspect

The pace trio, Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears, and Nathan Smith, are set to experience their first senior ICC tournament. Sears was previously in the traveling reserve for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 in the West Indies and United States.

Apart from Williamson, the batting unit has the experiences of Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, and Will Young, while Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, and Mark Chapman will bring the powerful batting depth option.

Captain Mitchell Santner has the spin-bowling support of Michael Bracewell, Glenn Phillips, and Rachin Ravindra.

Among the 15 members, only Kane Williamson (2013 and 2017), Tom Latham (2017), and Mitchell Santner (2017) previously experienced the ICC Champions Trophy. 

New Zealand won the ICC Champions Trophy 2000, which was the second edition of the tournament (ICC KnockOut Trophy), under the leadership of Stephen Fleming. 

New Zealand’s 15-member full squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 (also for the ODI tri-series in Pakistan)

Mitchell Santner (Captain), Kane Williamson, Tom Latham (wk), Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Will Young, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Ben Sears, Will O’Rourke, Nathan Smith.

Jasprit Bumrah Likely to Miss Champions Trophy Group Stage Due to Back Injury

BCCI Sends Bumrah to NCA for Rehabilitation

Jasprit Bumrah, who's India's top bowler, is dealing with a swollen back. This issue might mean he is unable to take part in the Champions Trophy's group stage. The National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru is where he's going to get better. Over the next three weeks, they'll be closely watching his fitness.

Selectors Face Tough Call as Bumrah’s Participation Remains Uncertain

The ICC received a request from the BCCI asking for more time to decide on India's final team for the Champions Trophy. They are wondering if they should add Bumrah to the main 15-player team or just put him on the standby list. They have until February 12 to make any changes to the team they first picked, so they can see how well Bumrah is getting better.

ALSO READ: New vice-captain of team India: Hero of T20 World Cup Final

🚨 SHOCKER! NO BUMRAH FOR INDIA IN CT 2025! 🚨

Jasprit Bumrah set to miss the group stages of the Champions Trophy due to back swelling, per Express Sports.

India’s pace attack in jeopardy! Who steps up in his absence? 🇮🇳

#CT2025 #Bumrah pic.twitter.com/8XCLzQUjnG

— Zaibi jutt🇵🇰 (@about_zaibjutt) January 12, 2025

Champions Trophy Schedule and Bumrah’s Fitness Timeline

India's team starts playing their group games on February 20, and they first play against Bangladesh. Then, they have a match with Pakistan on February 23, and after that, they play New Zealand on March 2, and many games are happening in Dubai. Someone from BCCI said that Bumrah might not be completely fit to play until the first week of March.

Whether Bumrah is fit to play in the later parts of the tournament will depend on how well he's recovering and if he's fit enough to play in matches.

India has a major challenge because Jasprit Bumrah might not play in the group stage of the Champions Trophy. Mister Bumrah is working to improve at the NCA, but no one knows when he'll be able to play again. With the tournament starting soon, the team has to think through a plan without him. If Bumrah can join for the knockout stages, it could really help India in the tournament where every team is looking to win. The selectors have a hard decision to make today.

Jasprit Bumrah Career Stats

Bowling

While the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is just more than a month away, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to delay the announcement of the Indian squad for the tournament.

The ICC Champions Trophy is returning after eight years. Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates will host the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 between February 19 and March 9, 2025. 

Eight teams will participate in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Apart from the hosts and defending champions Pakistan, India, Australia, New Zealand, England, South Africa, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh will also compete in the ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy.

See Also: Former Bangladeshi opener announces retirement again

ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Provisional squad announcement date fixed till January 12

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has set the provisional squad announcement date for each team till January 12, 2025. However, the Indian men’s national selection committee feels that they need some more time to finalise the squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

According to a recent Cricbuzz report, the BCCI is likely to request an extension for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 provisional squad announcement date, citing the recently concluded Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 commitment in Australia. 

Previously, the ICC had asked for the provisional squad from every team a month before the beginning of any ICC tournament. However, for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the ICC has asked the provisional squads five weeks before the tournament.

India played only three ODIs in 2024

The men’s national selection committee will soon announce the squad for the upcoming five-match home T20I series against England, starting on January 22. Later, the ODI squads for the three-match home ODI series against England as well as the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 can be announced a week later.

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 runners-up India played only three ODIs in 2024, the joint lowest ODI matches by a team in 2024 (New Zealand also played three ODIs).

The senior Indian men’s national selection committee is busy sorting out the squads for the upcoming home white-ball series against England and the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. One key Indian wicketkeeper-batter is likely to miss the upcoming home series against England.

Before the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates will host from February 19, India will host England in a five-match T20I series and a three-match ODI series.

See Also: India's Impressive 44-Year Streak: Unbeaten at Home in ODI Series Against England

KL Rahul is likely to be rested from the limited-overs series against England

According to a recent Times of India report, KL Rahul is unlikely to participate in the upcoming home white-ball series against England. While some Indian players, who were involved in the lengthy Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25 in Australia, are likely to be rested for the upcoming home white-ball series against England, Rahul is one of them.

The TOI report claimed that Rahul’s place in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is confirmed. A TOI source claimed, “Rahul’s place is confirmed for the ICC Champions Trophy, and the selectors have decided to rest him against England.” In this case, the selectors can go with Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, or Ishan Kishan for the upcoming limited-overs series against England.

In the five-match Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, Rahul’s batting position wasn’t fixed. Still, he was the third-leading run-scorer for India on that Australia tour, where the right-handed batter scored 276 runs with an average of 30.66, including two half-centuries. He performed well in that series. 

While Rahul is an important name in the ODI squad, he hasn’t played a T20I match since the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 semi-final defeat against England. 

In-form Varun Chakravarthy can make ODI debut

The 33-year-old leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who has taken 19 wickets in 13 T20Is, is also on the line for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 selections. So, he can make his ODI debut in the upcoming home ODI series against England. He is the leading wicket-taker in the ongoing domestic List A tournament, the Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25, with 18 wickets, including two fifers.

The ICC Champions Trophy is set to return as Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates will host the ninth edition of the tournament in 2025. The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will run between February 19 and March 9. 

ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Eight teams will participate

Eight teams will participate in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. These teams are Pakistan, India, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Australia, South Africa, Afghanistan, and England. While the first four teams are in Group A, the other four teams are in Group B. Pakistan are the hosts and defending champions of the tournament. 

At the end of the Group Stage, the top two teams from each group will advance to the Semi-finals of the tournament. On March 9, the two Semi-finals winners will face each other in the Final.

Here we are checking the probable complete squads for each ICC Champions Trophy 2025 team.

See Also: ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Complete Fixtures Announced

ICC Champions Trophy 2025: Probable squads

Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Rizwan (Captain & wk), Fakhar Zaman/Irfan Khan, Tayyab Tahir, Usman Khan, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Sufiyan Muqeem, Haris Rauf, Usama Mir, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi

India: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Shivam Dube/Harshit Rana/Khaleel Ahmed

New Zealand: Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Will Young, Mitchell Hay (wk), Mark Chapman, Tom Latham (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner (Captain), Nathan Smith, Jacob Duffy, Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke, Lockie Ferguson

Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (Captain), Towhid Hridoy, Tamim Iqbal/Soumya Sarkar, Litton Das (wk), Mahmudullah, Shakib Al Hasan/Jaker Ali (wk), Mushfiqur Rahman (wk), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam.

Australia: Steve Smith (Captain), Travis Head, Alex Carey (wk), Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Sean Abbott, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Jhye Richardson, Spencer Johnson, Cooper Connolly

Sri Lanka: Avishka Fernando, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Nishan Madushka (wk), Charith Asalanka (Captain), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamidu Wickramasinghe, Kamindu Mendis, Lahiru Kumara, Maheesh Theekshana, Eshan Malinga, Dilshan Madushanka, Mohamed Shiraz/Matheesha Pathirana, Dunith Wellalage

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (Captain), Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor Ahmad, AM Ghazanfar, Fareed Ahmad, Ikram Alikhil, Naveed Zadran.

England: Ben Duckett, Phil Salt (wk), Jos Buttler (Captain & wk), Harry Brook, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Jamie Overton, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid, Gus Atkinson, Saqib Mahmood

After announcing the Australian squad for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour, Cricket Australia (CA) is working on settling the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 squad.

Two-time ICC Champions Trophy winners Australia will start the 2025 edition as one of the favourites. Although the latest ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup champions failed to advance to the knockout stages in the last two Champions Trophy editions, the Aussies are desperate to regain the trophy. 

ICC Champions Trophy is set to return after eight years, while Pakistan will host the 2025 edition along with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which has been added for Indian matches. Apart from the hosts and defending champions Pakistan and Australia, India, England, New Zealand, South Africa, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh will participate in the tournament. 

See Also: Australian squad for the Sri Lanka Test series revealed: Steve Smith to lead the side

Pat Cummins doubtful for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Australian captain Pat Cummins, who led the team to win the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 in India, is doubtful for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. He has missed out on the Australian team for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour due to paternity leave. However, the right-arm fast bowler is also recovering from an ankle injury, which he was able to manage in the recently concluded home summer.

On the other hand, Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood, who missed three out of the recently concluded five-match home Test series against India (Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25), is recovering from his calf injury and likely to be available for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

In the absence of the skipper Pat Cummins, Steven Smith is likely to lead the Australian team in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. 

Australia won two ICC Champions Trophies

Australia won the ICC Champions Trophy in 2006 and 2009 under the leadership of Ricky Ponting and is the only team to successfully defend the title. Australia won their first ICC Champions Trophy title in the 2006 edition in India, where the Aussies beat West Indies by eight wickets (D/L method) in the rain-curtailed match. South Africa hosted the 2009 edition, where the Aussies won by six wickets against New Zealand in the Final.