Harbhajan Singh picks his squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025, no place for Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul

Harbhajan Singh has made some bold choices while selecting his 15-man squad for India’s Champions Trophy 2025, with two surprising picks that have raised eyebrows. With the tournament scheduled from February 19 to March 9, the suspense surrounding India’s squad continues, as the Ajit Agarkar-led Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has yet to make an official announcement. Despite the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) deadline of January 12 for submitting the provisional squad passing, Harbhajan’s selections have sparked much discussion.

One of Harbhajan’s most notable decisions was leaving out KL Rahul from the squad. He argued that the wicket-keeper spot should be contested between Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant, but he preferred Samson due to his recent performances.

“I believe either Sanju Samson or Rishabh Pant should be selected. Personally, I would prefer Sanju, as he has experience playing in South Africa. While Rishabh performed well in Australia, it was a lengthy tour, so if he’s given rest, it’s not a major issue.”

He also choose not to name a backup wicketkeeper, reinforcing his support for Samson.

In the spin department, Harbhajan opted for Axar Patel over Ravindra Jadeja, favoring the former. He also picked two wrist spinners for the squad: Kuldeep Yadav, the natural first-choice, and Yuzvendra Chahal, who has been out of the national team since January 2023. Despite Chahal’s recent absence from the side, Harbhajan included him in the squad, showing confidence in his ability.

Harbhajan also made room for emerging talents such as Tilak Verma, who impressed with two consecutive T20I centuries during India’s tour of South Africa in November. Although he has only played four ODIs, Verma’s recent performances earned him a place in Harbhajan’s squad.

The batting lineup remained mostly unchanged, with stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, and Shreyas Iyer making the cut. Harbhajan also gave a call-up to Yashasvi Jaiswal, who is still awaiting his ODI debut.

Harbhajan’s squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma (c), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant/Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal.

Click here to read article