Strongest India Playing 11 for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025

After a long, grueling wait for an ICC trophy, India has a chance at a streak of title victories in marquee events. India ended a wait of over a decade in 2024 when they beat South Africa to win the T20 World Cup trophy. Now, the team, led by Rohit Sharma, has a chance to end a 12-year-long drought for an ODI trophy after losing out on the 2023 World Cup against Australia. The ICC Champions Trophy is returning after eight years, and the 2013 champions would be counting their chances for a title victory. Pakistan, the defending champions, are placed in the same group as India, along with Bangladesh and New Zealand.

Left-right combination, pace order: Indian plans for the ICC Champions Trophy

India will kickstart the ICC Champions Trophy on the back of a dominant 3-0 series win over England at home. The England ODI series was just their second take on the format since the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup. Being away from the format for that long, the team had to accommodate some changes in their ODI squad for the series. For starters, Shubman Gill earned the vice-captain position in the squad, edging past the anticipated prospect, Hardik Pandya. Moreover, young guns Harshit Rana and Yashasvi Jaiswal earned a call-up in the format following their impressive performances in other formats.

Now, with the three-match series against England ending successfully for India, a lot has been cleared in the context of team formation. However, there remain some loopholes for the management to fix before they launch their ICC Champions Trophy campaign in Dubai. Known to all by now, India's biggest concern lies in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah. After over a month of speculation around the back injury that he picked up in the BGT, Bumrah was confirmed to be ruled out of the ICC tournament on February 12. Moreover, the management's plan to cope with his absence doesn't appear to be a steady one. Instead of Mohammed Siraj, a seasoned seamer in the format, India has gone for Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana.

Harshit Rana made his debut in the India vs England series and has played three matches in his career so far. Arshdeep Singh, who only got one match, the final ODI fixture against England, before the Champions Trophy, has played nine ODIs in total. Their next primary prospect is Mohammed Shami, who didn't make an impressive case in the series that marked his return to international cricket after over a year. Thus, the pace department is currently poised as a concern for India. Moreover, their choice to carry five spinners in their 15-member squad to play in Dubai, a venue that traditionally assists pacers, amplifies concerns regarding the bowling department.

Likely India Playing 11 for the ICC Champions Trophy

As far as batting is concerned, India appears to be in a favorable spot, going by their performance in the India vs. England ODI series. Vice-captain Shubman Gill emerged as the strongest link in their batting order as he accumulated two half-centuries and a century across the series. In the middle, Shreyas Iyer has promised reliable support as he picked up from where he left off in the format. The middle-order batter showed his firepower as he maintained consistency with his knocks. Moreover, further apprehensions about the lineup were dashed when skipper Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli finally made a return to scoring runs.

Rohit Sharma, while failing in two fixtures, smashed a ton in the second ODI in Cuttack with a knock that spoke of his abilities in the format. Virat Kohli, meanwhile, took some time but came through with a half-century knock in the final ODI at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The only catch remains the team's inclination toward fielding a left-right combination in the middle. An obvious move to tackle the situation would have been Rishabh Pant replacing KL Rahul in the mix. However, with Gautam Gambhir backing KL Rahul, who has impressed in ODIs while Pant remained absent due to injuries, India played a risky game. Instead of Pant joining the Playing XI, all-rounder Axar Patel was promoted in the order.

While Patel impressed in his new batting position, KL Rahul failed to make an impact as he was yet again handed a different spot to bat. With the head coach confirming that KL Rahul will play ahead of Rishabh Pant in the ICC Champions Trophy, it remains to be seen whether the wicketkeeper reclaims his spot in the middle or if Axar Patel continues in the No.5 batting position. For spinners, while Varun Chakravarthy was a late addition to the India squad, Kuldeep Yadav is likely to start in India Playing 11 for the ICC Champions Trophy, joining the in-form Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.

Predicted India Playing 11 for ICC Champions Trophy

Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami.