The long-awaited news has finally arrived! India has announced its squad for the upcoming ODI series against England and the Champions Trophy, which will be held in Pakistan. India’s matches in the Champions Trophy will take place in Dubai. This tournament, last played in 2017, was won by Pakistan when they defeated India, making this edition highly anticipated. India will aim to reclaim the Champions Trophy title.

For the squad, Rohit Sharma will captain the team in both the ODI series against England and the Champions Trophy. Virat Kohli is set to bat at No. 3, while the likely opening pair will be Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma. Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is yet to make his ODI debut, is also part of the squad. The big news is that Shubman Gill has been named the vice-captain. He has previously led India during the Zimbabwe series in 2024 and has been in excellent form, scoring 2328 runs in 47 ODIs, which makes his selection well-deserved.

KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are expected to play in the middle order, with Shreyas Iyer also included in the squad. Rishabh Pant will handle wicket-keeping duties, while KL Rahul will focus purely on batting. Shreyas Iyer has been in great form in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy, making his inclusion in the squad expected. He also had a great ODI World Cup 2023.

The bowling attack has received a significant boost with the return of Mohammad Shami, who has been included in both the ODI and T20I squads. The England T20I Series will be his first international appearance since the ODI World Cup 2023. Jasprit Bumrah has also been named in the squad, but his participation depends on fitness after an injury during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Arshdeep Singh is another player added to the squad for the Champions Trophy 2025. The spin attack will feature Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar.

The all-rounders in the squad include Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel. Harshit Rana has been included in the squad for the England ODI series and will remain part of the squad until Jasprit Bumrah fully recovers.

India’s campaign in the Champions Trophy is set to kick off on February 20, 2025, against Bangladesh. They will then face their arch-rivals, Pakistan, on February 23, followed by their final group game against New Zealand on March 2, 2025. Before the Champions Trophy, India will play a 3-match ODI series against England, with the first game scheduled for February 6 in Nagpur.

India’s squad for the Champions Trophy and England ODI Series: Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja. Harshit Rana*

*Harshit Rana will be part of only the England ODI series!