Gautam Gambhir has never been short of courage in his cricketing style, be it as a player or as a coach today. His recent choices have gone a long way in determining India's strategy for the Champions Trophy 2025. Some of the daring steps he took and left an impact are listed below.

Axar Patel at Number 5

Axar Patel is primarily viewed as an all-rounder, but Gambhir made a big call in advancing him to number five. It provided India with additional batting depth and allowed Axar to deliver game-changing middle-order performances. His pressure-holding skills and ability to rotate the strike have brought stability to the batting lineup.

Supporting KL Rahul Instead of Rishabh Pant

The KL Rahul-Rishabh Pant debate had been going on, but Gambhir decided to stand by Rahul. His experience under pressure and the calmness during critical moments presented him as the go-to person. Though Pant is an explosive hitter, Gambhir's decision to rely on Rahul meant steady hands in the middle order.

ALSO SEE: Is This Indian team is truly an all time great ?

Choosing Varun Chakravarthy in the Squad

Varun Chakravarthy's mystery spin is a weapon against top teams, and Gambhir understood its worth. Having him in the team provided India with an unpredictable advantage in the bowling unit, making the attack more varied and deadly.

Gambhir's moves speak volumes about his cricketing brain and his capability to take calculated risks. As India prepares for the Champions Trophy 2025, these moves could be a massive contributor to their success.

Shreyas Iyer is likely to be reinstated in the BCCI’s Central Contract after being left out last year.

The BCCI had earlier dropped Iyer and Ishan Kishan from the contract list after raising concerns regarding their involvement in domestic tournaments. But with Iyer already representing Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, his recall to the contract list now seems inevitable.

🚨 SHREYAS IYER BACK IN CENTRAL CONTRACT 🚨

- Shreyas Iyer is likely to get back his BCCI Central Contract after being removed last year. [TOI] pic.twitter.com/4Y5zlXvLYG

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 7, 2025

ALSO SEE: No ICC Tournaments in Pakistan: Check Upcoming Hosts of ICC Tournaments

Known for his solid technique and ability to anchor the innings, Iyer has been a crucial part of India’s setup in recent years. His return to the contract list could be a reflection of the board’s renewed faith in his commitment.

There should be a formal announcement of the same coming from the BCCI soon.

As far as stump mic antics are concerned, India captain Rohit Sharma is a never-ending gift. Rohit's stump mic wisecracks, most times, have been trending on social media. Most importantly, fans love Rohit's antics. Who can ever forget his 'Garden mein ghoomne wale ladke' (boys who roam in the garden) comment to the young lads during the Test series against England last year. In recent times, India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav if the boys still walk in the garden, particularly with Rohit no longer included in the setup after he retired from the format.

SURYAKUMAR YADAV ON THE TALKS ON CAPTAIN ROHIT SHARMA'S FITNESS. pic.twitter.com/e2OrBzb5iN

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 6, 2025

ALSO SEE: babar Azam father cryptic post after babar azam dropped from the Pakistan team

Suryakumar did, however, joke that he doesn't hold anyone back from shifting as no one does it anymore. He further added that he tries not to get close to the stump mic, further adding that someone's specialist work should stay with them alone, indirectly referring to Rohit's legendary stump mic chirps.

With each team playing at their optimum level, the ICC Champions Trophy final will be thrilling. India will be looking to win back the trophy after their past triumph in 2013, while New Zealand will be aiming to clinch their second ICC trophy. Cricket fans worldwide are already looking forward to finding out who wins on March 9.

Match Details:

India’s Playing XI:

ALSO SEE: Cricket's Fab Four: The End of an Era?"

New Zealand’s Playing XI:

Key Players to Watch:

Match Preview and Key Battles:

The battle between India's solid batting order and New Zealand's ruthless bowling outfit will be the turning point in the final. Some key battles to look out for are:

• Virat Kohli and Matt Henry: How Kohli counterattacks New Zealand's seam bowlers will play a big part.
• Hardik Pandya and Glenn Phillips: These two all-rounders will likely take crucial roles through the middle overs.
• Mohammed Shami and Kane Williamson: Shami’s pace and swing against Williamson’s steady batting could define the game.
  

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is contemplating a strategy to keep players engaged with red-ball cricket throughout the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. This is before India's five-Test series in England in June-July, following the IPL. The scheme might involve players showing up at "occasional red-ball practice sessions" or other bizarre pursuits of some players.

🚨 RED BALL PRACTICE DURING IPL 🚨

- BCCI is working on a strategy to ensure players remain in touch with Test cricket ahead of England tour, it is likely that players might be ask for occasional practice with red ball during IPL. [Cricbuzz] pic.twitter.com/qil9BUrUwG

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 25, 2025

ALSO SEE:  Shoaib Akhtar slams PCB Management For Poor Team Handling

The BCCI plans to not let the players lose touch with Test cricket during the two-month-long IPL tournament, to be held between March 22 and May 25.
The very specifics of the plan have yet to be known.
However, preliminary discussions of this twin-track approach have already been made by prominent players from the Indian team management and BCCI planners in Dubai.
The BCCI's decision to keep players engaged with red-ball cricket during the IPL season is in response to India's recent Test performance.
The team has not won a single Test series in England recently. The trend features a 4-0 loss in 2011, a 3-1 loss in 2014, and a 4-1 loss in 2018.
India earned their first away Test series draw in England (2-2 in 2021). It was split due to COVID-19, with the last Test won by England a year later.

India secured their place in the Champions Trophy 2025 semi-finals after New Zealand defeated Bangladesh by 5 wickets in Rawalpindi on Monday in a comprehensive win. Rachin Ravindra made a stunning century after a scintillating bowling display from Michael Bracewell to help New Zealand overpower Bangladesh. The victory also saw New Zealand secure their place in the knockout stages of the tournament as the second team from Group A. But it also left Bangladesh and Pakistan out of the tournament since the two teams already have two defeats apiece. India will host New Zealand in their last group stage game and Bangladesh will face Pakistan but both matches will serve no purpose aside from determining who will lead the group to the semifinals.

INDIA WILL PLAY THE FIRST SEMI-FINAL ON MARCH 4 AT DUBAI...!!!! 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/8PrEh4ZHvR

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 24, 2025

ALSO SEE: Pakistan’s Champions Trophy Nightmare: First Team Eliminated After 29-Year Wait

March 2nd - IND vs NZ.

March 4th - IND vs AUS/SA/AFG/ENG.

MISSION CHAMPIONS TROPHY IS ON 🙇 pic.twitter.com/Ctxze6u7O3

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) February 24, 2025

New Zealand defeated Bangladesh by five wickets in a Group A Champions Trophy game here on Monday, a triumph that placed the Kiwis and India in the Champions Trophy semifinals. The victory ensured Bangladesh and the two-time defending champions Pakistan, having lost both of their two games till date, were eliminated from the tournament.

India and New Zealand both have four points apiece from two victories till now in Group A. The top two teams of each group advance to the semifinals.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has announced a 16-member full squad for the opening Test of the two-match home Test series against Bangladesh. Star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant returned to the red-ball game, while a left-arm pacer earned his maiden national team call-up. 

On Sunday (September 8), the men’s national selection committee picked the Indian squad for the upcoming Chennai Test against Bangladesh. MA Chidambaram Stadium (Chepauk, Chennai) will host the two-match India vs Bangladesh Test series opener from September 19. 

This two-match Test series will be a part of the 2023-2025 ICC World Test Championship. Kanpur will host the second Test of the series, starting on September 27. After this Test series, India will host a three-match T20I series against Bangladesh. 

Rohit Sharma will continue his captaincy role for the Indian team. Apart from him and the former Indian captain Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and Sarfaraz Khan have been included as the batting option in the 16-member squad. 

Rishabh Pant and Dhruv Jurel are the wicketkeepers for the Chennai Test

The 26-year-old wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has returned to Test cricket after more than one-and-a-half-year absence. Before his horrible car accident, Pant played his last Test in December 2022 against the hosts Bangladesh in Mirpur. In the opening game of the Duleep Trophy 2024/25, Pant scored seven runs and crucial 61 runs off 47 balls for India B, who beat India A by 76 runs. 

Watch: ‘Bhaut Tagda Plan Banaya Hai’ – Rishabh Pant’s epic banter with Kuldeep Yadav

Dhruv Jurel has also been named as the wicketkeeper in the Indian squad. He made his Test debut early this year during the Rajkot Test against England. Jurel has played three Tests and two T20Is. During his second Test at Ranchi against England, he won the Player of the Match award for his match-winning batting performances of 90 and 39 not out. He served for India A in the Duleep Trophy 2024/25 opener, where he equalled MS Dhoni’s most catches record in a Duleep Trophy innings with seven catches.        

Yash Dayal gets maiden call-up; Akash Deep is also included after his solid performances in the Duleep Trophy 2024/25 first round

Meanwhile, the 26-year-old uncapped left-arm pacer Yash Dayal has been included in the 16-member Indian squad. The India B pacer took one and three wickets during their match against India A at the Duleep Trophy 2024/25 opener. At the IPL 2024 auction, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) picked him for INR 5 crores. In his third IPL season (IPL 2024), Dayal took 15 wickets in 14 games, the joint leading wicket-taker for RCB.   

In the meantime, Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj will lead the Indian pace bowling line-up. Siraj was ruled out from the Duleep Trophy 2024/25 first round due to illness. 

Also, the Bengal right-arm pacer Akash Deep has been included in the Indian Test squad. He has played one Test when he made his international cricket debut in the 2024 Ranchi Test against England. He took three wickets in his first Test. Serving for India A in the Duleep Trophy 2024/25 first round, Akash Deep claimed a four-wicket haul (4/60) and a fifer (5/56). The bowling all-rounder also scored 11 and fighting 43 runs in that Duleep Trophy game. 

Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Kuldeep Yadav are in the spin bowling option for the upcoming Chennai Test against Bangladesh.

India’s squad for the 1st Test of the Bangladesh Test series: 

Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Jasprit Bumrah, Yash Dayal.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced three changes to India’s squad for the 5-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. The trio of Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma, and Harshit Rana have been added to the roster for the first two matches, as replacements for Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who are still in Barbados.

Originally slated to join the Zimbabwe-bound squad for the upcoming series starting Saturday, 6th July, the trio will travel to India first with the rest of the ICC T20 World Cup-winning Indian squad before departing for Harare. Samson, Dube, and Jaiswal couldn’t fly out earlier from Barbados as a hurricane shut down the airport at the island nation. The unforeseen circumstances have forced BCCI to name replacements for the three players.

India’s squad for 1st & 2nd T20I against Zimbabwe

Shubman Gill (Captain), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Abhishek Sharma, Rinku Singh, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Avesh Khan, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar, Tushar Deshpande, Sai Sudharsan, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Harshit Rana

Impact of Hurricane Beryl and player availability

Pacer Khaleel Ahmed and batter Rinku Singh, travelling reserves for the T20 World Cup, are also currently in Barbados. The BCCI has not named replacements for the duo even though they are in the squad for the Zimbabwe series.

Sudharsan is currently playing county cricket for Surrey at the Oval in London. He is expected to leave for Harare immediately.

Players still stuck in Barbados

India’s T20 World Cup-winning team is expected to fly from Barbados today, with the airport expected to be reopened. The World Cup-winning team, originally scheduled to depart from Barbados on Monday at 11 AM local time (8:30 PM IST), has been stranded in Barbados for the past two days due to Hurricane Beryl, which resulted in airports and businesses shutting down.

The hurricane, which has intensified into an extremely dangerous Category 5 storm in the past hours, has sparked warnings of life-threatening winds and dangerous storm conditions. According to the latest report from the National Hurricane Centre of the US, Beryl made landfall in the Windward Islands as it churned towards Jamaica, bringing life-threatening winds and storms to Barbados and nearby islands.

See Also: Legit or not? Here’s the truth about Suryakumar Yadav catch that changed the fate of T20 World Cup final – Cricket Winner

These adjustments and the challenging travel conditions highlight the resilience and adaptability of the Indian cricket team and the BCCI’s commitment to ensuring a competitive squad for the Zimbabwe series despite unforeseen challenges.