The Champions Trophy 2025 will be another showpiece ICC event reportedly in Pakistan.
The Champions Trophy 2025 will be another showpiece ICC event reportedly in Pakistan. Pakistan are the current champion, with India runners-up after losing heavily against the Men in Green.
As India prepare for this big event, they have a settled ODI core with the most automatic selections in the team. However, with fresh talent coming and veterans in the mix, India might make a few surprising inclusions in their team.
We look at six shock inclusions in India’s Champions Trophy 2025 squad.
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Yashasvi Jaiswal has been a sensation since debuting for India but hasn’t featured in ODIs yet. Given his strong credentials, Jaiswal can be a backup opener in India’s squad for the Champions Trophy 2025.
Talent-wise, Jaiswal sits right at the top among the skilled batters in the country and looks set to be Rohit’s successor in the 50-over format. Like the T20 World Cup 2024, he can be a backup opener and even play ahead of any lead batter if their form shrinks.
Ishan Kishan was in plans for all formats before things went downhill abruptly, leading to his omission from the central contracts. However, he is slowly making a return to the setup and is a few performances away from being in consideration again.
To his credit, Kishan can bat anywhere in the order and has previously done it for India in this format. Given his previous experience and superior skillsets, Kishan can be part of the Champions Trophy side next year and even play in the XI, given he also keeps the wickets.
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Rinku Singh might have made himself relevant through explosive performances in T20s, but he is equally potent in the other two formats. Skill-wise, Rinku is an asset in any ODI side, for he can be flexible with his batting position and bat in different gears.
He made his ODI debut against South Africa last year, scoring 55 runs in two outings, with the best of 38. Even if not a regular starter, Rinku can come into the setup as a backup middle-order batter, and being an LHB, he provides another dimension in an otherwise one-dimensional top-6.
Suryakumar Yadav came into the ODI setup with high expectations, but it culminated in a painful World Cup final where he struggled to get going. However, there’s no doubt over his talent, for Suryakumar can be a match-winner in this format.
Further, he can be flexible with his batting position and has all the skillsets to be a successful ODI batter; it’s just that he hasn’t got going so far. Maybe a few solid shows in the domestic scene can turn things for him, leading to a surprise selection.
Arguably the most surprising name on the list, Tilak Varma is nowhere near the ODI setup but can come via strong domestic performances. Tilak has shown his credentials in the IPL and limited chances with India.
He has an average of 52.16 in List A and has already hit a fifty in four ODI games. Like Rinku, he also offers a different dimension to the batting unit and can bat anywhere between No.4 and 6.
While Harshit Rana has yet to make his India debut, he might be one of the shocking names in the Champions Trophy 2025 team. Rana’s superior abilities were visible during his stint with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2024.
He can hit the deck hard and extract something from tepid decks, which might be the case in Pakistan. Further, the team should start grooming him for the next World Cup in South Africa where the pitches might aid Rana.
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