India squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025: 3 players who were unfortunate to miss out

India announced their squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 on January 18.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), on Saturday, January 18, announced India’s 15-member squad for the three-match home ODI series and ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The ICC tournament is scheduled to take place in Pakistan and Dubai.

The Asian giants have retained the core of their squad that reached the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final, while also bringing in some exciting young talent.

Rohit Sharma will captain the Indian team, while Shubman Gill has been named his deputy. The squad has received a major boost with the return of pacer Mohammed Shami. While India have to deal with Bumrah not playing first couple of games of the tournament.

The selectors have also shown confidence in the middle-order pair of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul, who played key roles during the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.

The selection, however, has also come as a major setback for a few players who have missed out on a spot in the squad.

Three players who were unfortunate to miss out on India squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025:

1. Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj’s omission from India’s squad for the Champions Trophy 2025 is perhaps the most surprising among all. India opted to go with left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh over Siraj, who was India’s third seamer during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

During announcement of India’s squad for the Champions Trophy, skipper Rohit Sharma stated that Siraj’s ineffectiveness with the old ball was a key factor in the decision.

2. Nitish Kumar Reddy

Nitish Kumar Reddy has been one of India’s biggest finds recently. Reddy made his test debut in Australia and emerged as the second-highest run-scorer for India in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 with 298 runs at an average of 37.25.

Earlier in 2024, Reddy made his T20I debut against Bangladesh in October, following a successful IPL 2024 campaign with Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee has opted against including the young all-rounder, sticking with Hardik Pandya as the sole fast-bowling all-rounder for the tournament.

3. Sanju Samson

Wicket-keeper Sanju Samson is another member who has found himself unlucky in not getting selected for the Champions Trophy.

The Men in Blue have opted to stick with KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant as the main wicket-keeping options. Sanju Samson, who boasts an average of 56.66 in his short ODI career, will feel unlucky to miss out, given his recent form in white-ball cricket, which includes three T20I centuries.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.