Champions Trophy 2025: Team India's Strength, Weaknesses, Schedule, Squad, Playing XI and More

There's just a month left for the ICC Champions Trophy, which is returning after an eight-year gap, and the excitement is growing daily. India was a finalist in the Champions Trophy 2017, but it lost to Pakistan after coming so close to the prestigious trophy. Though India got close to ICC Trophies multiple times in the last 10 years, the team hasn’t won any ICC ODI tournament in the decade. This article will discuss India's strengths, weaknesses, schedule, squad, best playing XI opportunities and more in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
The Knock-out Breaker

Despite reaching the semifinals/finals in every ICC 50-over tournament since 2015, India has not been able to win any trophy.
- ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Semi-finalist
- ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Finalist
- ICC Cricket World Cup 2019: Semi FInalist
- ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: Finalist
India’s Strength
Top Order

One of India's biggest strengths is its top order, which includes Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and Suman Gill. This top order is one of the best in the tournament.
Pace Department

India's Pace Department is certainly one of its biggest strengths, with the trio of world-class Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammad Siraj.
Team India's Weakness: Knockout Pressure
The India squad doesn't appear to have any weak links. However, India has a track record of losing in the knockout stage of ICC tournaments, whether the World Cup or the Champions Trophy. As discussed above, India lost the Cricket World Cup 2015, 2019, 2023, and the Champions Trophy 2017 after reaching the finals/semifinals.
Previous performance
India has performed well in the last two Champions Trophies, winning the 2013 trophy and reaching the finals in 2017.
| Year | Host | Result | Notable Performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Bangladesh | Semi-Finals | Won QF vs Australia, lost SF to West Indies |
| 2000 | Kenya | Runners-up | Lost to New Zealand in final |
| 2002 | Sri Lanka | Co-Champions | Shared trophy with Sri Lanka due to rain |
| 2004 | England | Group Stage | Won vs Kenya, lost to Pakistan |
| 2006 | India | Group Stage | Failed to qualify for semifinals |
| 2009 | South Africa | Group Stage | Lost to Pakistan, one washout, won vs West Indies |
| 2013 | England | Champions | Beat England in final, Shikhar Dhawan was Man of Series |
| 2017 | England | Runners-up | Lost to Pakistan in final |

India has the opportunity to become the first team to win the Champions Trophy for the third time. Only two teams, India and Australia, have won the Champions Trophy twice. In 2002, India won it jointly with Sri Lanka, but the match was abandoned due to rain.
India’s Best Playing XI For Champions Trophy
| Position | Player | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rohit Sharma | Captain/Opener |
| 2 | Shubman Gill | Opener |
| 3 | Virat Kohli | Top Order |
| 4 | Shreyas Iyer | Middle Order |
| 5 | KL Rahul | Wicketkeeper-Batsman |
| 6 | Hardik Pandya | All-rounder |
| 7 | Ravindra Jadeja | All-rounder |
| 8 | Kuldeep Yadav | Spinner |
| 9 | Mohammed Shami | Fast Bowler |
| 10 | Jasprit Bumrah | Fast Bowler |
| 11 | Mohammed Siraj | Fast Bowler |
India’s Matches in Champions Trophy
| Date | Match | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 20 | India vs Bangladesh | Dubai | 2:30 PM |
| February 23 | India vs Pakistan | Dubai | 2:30 PM |
| March 2 | India vs New Zealand | Dubai | 2:30 PM |
India vs Pakistan

The much-awaited India versus Pakistan match will be played on 23rd February in Dubai. After BCCI's demand not to travel to Pakistan due to security reasons, all of India’s Matches will be played in Dubai, and both the teams will be playing against each other in an ODI match after one and a half years since World Cup 2023.
India's Expected Squad For the Champions Trophy 2025
| Category | Players |
|---|---|
| Batsmen | Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal |
| Wicketkeepers | KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant |
| All-rounders | Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel |
| Spinners | Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy |
| Fast Bowlers | Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh |
Champions Trophy 2025 Full Schedule
| Date | Match | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 19 | Pakistan vs New Zealand | Karachi | 2:30 PM |
| February 20 | India vs Bangladesh | Dubai | 2:30 PM |
| February 21 | Afghanistan vs South Africa | Karachi | 2:30 PM |
| February 22 | Australia vs England | Lahore | 2:30 PM |
| February 23 | India vs Pakistan | Dubai | 2:30 PM |
| February 24 | Bangladesh vs New Zealand | Rawalpindi | 2:30 PM |
| February 25 | Australia vs South Africa | Rawalpindi | 2:30 PM |
| February 26 | Afghanistan vs England | Lahore | 2:30 PM |
| February 27 | Pakistan vs Bangladesh | Rawalpindi | 2:30 PM |
| February 28 | Afghanistan vs Australia | Lahore | 2:30 PM |
| March 1 | South Africa vs England | Karachi | 2:30 PM |
| March 2 | New Zealand vs India | Dubai | 2:30 PM |
| March 4 | Semi-final 1 | Dubai | 2:30 PM |
| March 5 | Semi-final 2 | Lahore | 2:30 PM |
| March 9 | Final* | Lahore/Dubai | 2:30 PM |
| March 10 | Reserve Day | - | - |
Check out the full fixtures for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. pic.twitter.com/oecuikydca
— ICC (@ICC) December 24, 2024
Check out the full fixtures for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. pic.twitter.com/oecuikydca
— ICC (@ICC) December 24, 2024
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