India's Strongest Playing XI for the Champions Trophy, India's Practice Match Details
As the Champions Trophy returns after eight years, fans are predicting India's playing 11 for the tournament. India is one of the strongest contenders to win the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, as it was a finalist in the recent ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. This article will discuss India's strongest playing 11 for the Champions Trophy and how many practice matches India will play before the Champions Trophy.
India's Strongest Playing XI
| Position | Player | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rohit Sharma | Captain/Opener |
| 2 | Shubman Gill | Opener |
| 3 | Virat Kohli | Top-order Batter |
| 4 | Shreyas Iyer | Middle-order Batter |
| 5 | KL Rahul | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| 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 |
Openers
Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill will open the innings for India, and Yashasvi Jaiswal will be the backup opener.
Middle Order
Virat Kohli will be playing at third number. For the fourth no. Shreyas Iyer is the top contender.
Wicket-keeper
KL Rahul will probably be the wicketkeeper of the playing XI in the first match and act as a backup wicketkeeper.
All-rounders
Hardik Pandya is the obvious choice for the 6th number, while Ravindra Jadeja will be seen at the number 7.
Spinners
Along with Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav, who will be in the playing 11, Axar Patel will most likely be part of the squad as the backup spinner and all-rounder.
Pacers
Jasprit Bumrah, who will reportedly be the vice-captain of the team, will lead the pace attack in the Champions Trophy. Subject to availability, Mohammed Shami will be one of the main pacers in the XI, while Mohammed Siraj will be Team India's third pacer.
India's Expected Squad For the ICC Champions Trophy 2025
| Role | Players |
|---|---|
| Captain | Rohit Sharma |
| Openers | Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal |
| Middle Order | Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer |
| Wicketkeeper-Batters | KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant |
| All-rounders | Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel |
| Spinners | Kuldeep Yadav |
| Fast Bowlers | Jasprit Bumrah*, Mohammed Shami**, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh |
India's Practice Match in Champions Trophy
India is expected to play at least one practice match in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 to familiarize themselves with the conditions. The date and opponent are still to be decided. Before participating in the Champions Trophy, India will be playing an ODI series against England.
ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Full Schedule
| Date | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 19 | Pakistan vs New Zealand | Karachi |
| Feb 20 | Bangladesh vs India | Dubai |
| Feb 21 | Afghanistan vs South Africa | Karachi |
| Feb 22 | Australia vs England | Lahore |
| Feb 23 | Pakistan vs India | Dubai |
| Feb 24 | Bangladesh vs New Zealand | Rawalpindi |
| Feb 25 | Australia vs South Africa | Rawalpindi |
| Feb 26 | Afghanistan vs England | Lahore |
| Feb 27 | Pakistan vs Bangladesh | Rawalpindi |
| Feb 28 | Afghanistan vs Australia | Lahore |
| Mar 1 | South Africa vs England | Karachi |
| Mar 2 | New Zealand vs India | Dubai |
| Mar 4 | Semi-final 1 | Dubai |
| Mar 5 | Semi-final 2 | Lahore |
| Mar 9 | Final | Lahore/Dubai |