Less than 10 months after lifting the T20 World Cup, the Indian team gears up for a fresh quest for another global title at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, starting Wednesday. The marquee event will be played across three venues in Pakistan and one in Dubai.
Due to tense political relations between the two countries, India refused to send its team to Pakistan and instead will play all their Group A matches in Dubai under a hybrid model.
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Ranked No. 1 in the ICC ODI rankings, India is the most successful side in Champions Trophy history in terms of matches won (18 wins in 29) and trophies (2 titles – joint-most alongside Australia), and in the 10th edition of the Champions Trophy, Rohit Sharma & Co would aim to live up to the billing when they open their campaign against Bangladesh on Thursday.
India geared up preparations for the Champions Trophy 2025 with a 3-0 triumph over England at home recently. Going by the current form of players, India will start the tournament as favourites despite the absence of Jasprit Bumrah in their squad after the star quick was ruled out due to a back injury.
The eight-team tournament, making a comeback after nearly eight years, could also be the last ICC event for India greats Rohit and Virat Kohli, and the duo will be eager to sign off in style. From the team’s perspective, India will also be eager to end their 12-year drought for an ODI title.
A lot has changed in the Indian setup since the last ICC event, as Gautam Gambhir took charge of the team after former head coach Rahul Dravid’s contract came to an end. While Gambhir’s tenure has been far from impressive, more so after the recent debacle in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under, the Champions Trophy will also be a litmus test for him.
The Men in Blue have played a total of nine ODIs since the last 50-over World Cup at home, out of which, they’ve won five, lost three and tied one. Right after the World Cup, India sent a young team to South Africa led by KL Rahul, which beat the Proteas 2-1. Captain Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli made their 50-over comeback in Sri Lanka in August 2024, where India lost by 0-2. Six months later, India wrapped up their Champions Trophy preparation with the victory against England and will look to carry that momentum into the mega event.
For India, the biggest concern is the absence of pace spearhead Bumrah, who was ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury. Bumrah was deservedly adjudged Player of the Tournament in India’s successful T20 World Cup campaign. He ended the 2024 season with a whopping 71 wickets in Tests and was bestowed with the prestigious honours of the ICC Cricketer of the Year and ICC Test Cricketer of the Year. However, his golden run was halted by an unfortunate injury in the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney which has left India without their biggest match-winner in the Champions Trophy.
In Bumrah’s absence, Mohammed Shami will be tasked with the responsibility of leading the pace attack. Shami, who recently made a comeback to international cricket after a long injury layoff, will look for support from young guns Arshdeep Singh and Harshit Rana, alongside star all-rounder Hardik Pandya.
India’s spin department boasts variety, and quality all-round abilities, with left-arm tweakers Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel leading the attack alongside the likes of off-spinner Washington Sundar, left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy.
India’s batting department looks like a well-oiled unit with the top and middle order getting runs in the ODI series against England. The rich form of Shubman Gill and Shreyas Iyer will reduce the over dependence on the senior duo of Rohit and Virat. Pandya’s absence in the lower down the order gives the much-needed firepower and the inclusion of Jadeja and Patel further strengthens the batting depth. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant will compete for the wicketkeeper’s slot, and the former looks the first-choice option.
India have two Champions Trophy titles to their name with the first coming under Sourav Ganguly’s leadership in 2002, and the second under Mahendra Singh Dhoni in 2013. Rohit, who now has the T20 World Cup under his name, will certainly look to add another title under his leadership.
