Rohit's side keen for Champions Trophy glory - India team preview

Despite a late injury setback with Jasprit Bumrah being ruled out owing to a back issue, India arrive at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 with a star-studded line-up.

Fielding a majority of the names that featured at the 2023 Men’s Cricket World Cup, where they finished runners-up, the experienced duo of captain Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli power a well-rounded batting line-up.

Meanwhile, fresh names have been introduced in the bowling line-up with Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy putting themselves in the mix.

A noticeable feature of the squad is the presence of multiple all-rounders such as Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, who provide depth with bat and ball.

India squad:

Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakravarthy.

Read: Every squad for Champions Trophy

India’s group stage fixtures:

20 February - India vs Bangladesh, Dubai

23 February - India vs Pakistan, Dubai

2 March - India vs New Zealand, Dubai

Player to watch: Hardik Pandya

Having played a major role in India’s T20 World Cup triumph in 2024, the premium seam-bowling all-rounder will be critical to India’s Champions Trophy ambitions.

In the absence of Bumrah, the 31-year-old is likely to shoulder added responsibility with the ball in hand. With the bat, Pandya holds the key as a proven power-hitter, who can accumulate runs quickly in the lower order.