Indian Cricket Team 15-member squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025 - Predicted

The Indian Cricket Team will most likely not travel Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

The Rohit Sharma-led Indian cricket team are one of the strong favourites to win the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, considering their form in the last two ICC white-ball events – they reached the final of the World Cup 2023 and won the T20 World Cup 2024 trophy.

If all players, especially the bowlers, are fit and available, India will put up a largely similar side that played in the World Cup last year.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 is scheduled to be played in Pakistan in February-March 2025. Meanwhile, the ICC has not confirmed the schedule yet, and it is believed that India are highly unlikely to get permission from their government to travel to Pakistan for this marquee ICC event.

In that case, the tournament could be played in a hybrid model, with India’s match being played likely in the UAE or Sri Lanka.

On that note, let’s take a look at probable India squad which might participate in the tournament.

Indian cricket team predicted 15-man squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025:

1. Rohit Sharma (C)

Rohit Sharma retired from T20Is after leading India to the T20 World Cup 2024 title. He is continuing as the ODI skipper and is set to lead the side in the Champions Trophy 2025. Rohit is in prime form as a batter and India’s success will heavily depend on his runs.

2. Shubman Gill (VC)

Shubman Gill, who has been elevated to the post of India’s vice-captain in white-ball cricket, will be Rohit Sharma’s opening partner. He is the second-leading run-scorer in ODI cricket since 2023 and averages 58 in this period.

3. Virat Kohli

Senior batter Virat Kohli is the third-leading ODI run-scorer since 2023. He averages a whopping 65 since last year in ODI cricket. Kohli has cracked six centuries in this period and was the top-scorer in last year’s World Cup. He will be a vital cog in India’s squad for the next year’s ICC Champions Trophy.

4. Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer had a terrific World Cup 2023 campaign – scoring 530 runs at an average of 66, including a century in the semi-final against New Zealand. Iyer has sealed his spot as India’s go-to No. 4 in ODIs and is most likely to retain that place for the Champions Trophy next year.

5. KL Rahul (wk)

KL Rahul cemented his place as the first-choice wicket-keeper and the number-five batter in last year’s World Cup and also led India in South Africa after that. Based on that, KL Rahul will most probably retain his place in the squad as well as the starting XI in ODIs.

6. Rishabh Pant (wk)

By picking Rishabh Pant over Sanju Samson for the Sri Lanka ODIs, the selectors and management made it clear that they value Pant’s international experience and his skill to bat left-handed despite his lack of success in white-ball internationals. He is expected to be in the squad for the Champions Trophy 2025.

7. Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya is one of the most valuable members of India’s white-ball teams, as he proved during the T20 World Cup, because of the balance he provides as a seam-bowling all-rounder.

With Pandya in the side, India can play with two genuine seamers and add an extra spinning all-rounder in the side.

8. Riyan Parag

If it comes down to Shivam Dube vs Riyan Parag, then the latter is likely to be picked in the squad. In Sri Lanka, the Assam cricketer made his case strong while Dube was underwhelming. With Hardik in the squad, Dube is unlikely to be picked for a tournament in Asian conditions, where Parag’s spin bowling would be more effective.

9. Ravindra Jadeja

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar had confirmed that Ravindra Jadeja was rested from the Sri Lanka ODIs in June and not dropped. Jadeja’s experience, his contributions as an all-rounder and his excellent fielding skills are enough reasons to pick him in India’s squad for the Champions Trophy 2025.

10. Axar Patel

Axar played a key role in India’s triumph at the T20 World Cup 2024. His game in white-ball cricket has grown leaps and bounds and now he finds a place in India’s XI even when Jadeja is in the side, which will book him a seat in the India squad for Champions Trophy 2025.

11. Washington Sundar

One of the biggest positives for India from the Sri Lanka tour in June 2024 was Washington Sundar. He was Man of the Match in the third T20I. In the ODIs, he was India’s highest wicket-taker and kept an economy of less than four. For the Champions Trophy 2025, Sundar could find himself in the 15-man squad.

12. Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep made a successful comeback to the Indian ODI side last year and has been a key member of the bowling attack. Despite having played a lot of international cricket already, he still holds some sort of mystery for the batters.

13. Jasprit Bumrah

As it was in the T20 World Cup 2024, India’s bowling attack will heavily depend on Bumrah to give regular strikes, both with the new ball and the old ball. Hailed as the best fast bowlers in the world, Bumrah will be eyeing a second consecutive ICC trophy next year.

14. Mohammed Siraj

Siraj has been one of the most potent bowlers in ODIs recently. Since the start of 2023, he is the leading ODI wicket-taker among pacers with 47 scalps in 28 games.

On his day, with some swing available, Siraj could be deadly with the new ball.

15. Mohammed Shami/Arshdeep Singh

Shami is currently out of action due to ankle surgery. He is expected to return in the 10 test matches that India will play from September 2024 to January 2025. If he remains injury-free during those tests, Shami would likely be drafted straightaway into India’s ODI squad to face England in February before the Champions Trophy 2025.

If not Shami, then Arshdeep Singh, who was the joint-leading wicket-taker in the T20 World Cup, could get the nod.

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