Harshit Rana against England (Source: AP Photos)
The Champions Trophy 2025 is all set to start on 19th of February and with the tournament returning after eight years, the excitement around the event is quite high. India have already announced the squad, but teams can tweak their arsenal before 11th of February, and the men in blue can also make some tactical changes for the marquee tournament.
The finalists of the 2023 World Cup are currently playing against England and the squad is almost same as Champions Trophy, with only exceptions being Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy. Both of them are part of England series but are not in the Champions Trophy squad.
However, Harshit Rana has made a strong impression with three wickets on debut. Also, he did well on the T20I debut as well. His List A record is also pretty good with bowling average in early 20s, and if the management decides to include him into the Champions Trophy squad, one of the player from the current squad would miss out. There is a possibility that he could fit in straight into the squad if Jasprit Bumrah does not recover. However, if he does get fit and selectors also want Harshit Rana in the squad, then here are the three players who could miss out.
3. Axar Patel
India have included three spin-bowling all-rounders in their squad and if selectors want to include Harshit Rana, one of them can miss out. Two of those are Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja, and both brings similar skillset to the table with left-arm spin and flexibility with the bat. So, there are chances that selectors might try to bring more variety into the bowling attack, and it could mean that Axar Patel might miss out.
The all-rounder had a similar heartbreak before the 2023 World Cup when he was removed from the squad at the last moment in expense of an off-spinner, Ravichandran Ashwin. If the selectors go with similar mindset, Washington Sundar will get a nod, and Ravindra Jadeja with his experience might also get an edge.
| Players | ODI Batting Average | ODI Wickets |
|---|---|---|
| Axar Patel | 19.58 | 65 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 32.42 | 223 |
Ravindra Jadeja has been a proven performer in ODI cricket and has a batting average of 32.42 which is way better than Axar Patel's 19.58. On the bowling front, Axar Patel has 65 wickets from 61 matches while Jadeja has 223 wickets in 198 matches. Also, Jadeja has also played in Champions Trophy and has 16 wickets in 10 matches along with some impressive batting numbers which puts Axar Patel's place in danger. Also, in the first ODI, Ravindra Jadeja bowled better than Axar Patel and picked three wickets compared to one by Axar Patel.
![[Watch] Flying Yashasvi Jaiswal Grabs A Blinder As Harshit Rana's Ploy For Ben Duckett Pays Off](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1738832585995_yashasvi_jaiswal (1).jpg?type=tq)
2. Washington Sundar
Washington Sundar, the off-spinning all-rounder did well in Tests, but his ODI record is not great. There is also some doubt over his big-hitting abilities down the order, and if selectors decide to rope in Harshit Rana, Sundar could miss out with already Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja in the squad.
Washington Sundar has taken 23 wickets in 22 matches while he has one fifty in 22 ODIs. Thus, the stats show that he has not been a wicket-taking bowler in the format and his impact with the bat has been minimal as well. His competitors, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel have delivered both with the bat and ball in white-ball formats over the years, and it could go in their favour.
Also, both Jadeja and Axar Patel are playing together over Washington Sundar in the first ODI and it could be a sign that Sundar is at the bottom of the pecking order.
1. Arshdeep Singh
Arshdeep Singh, the left-arm pacer who has been doing brilliantly in T20Is is the prime candidate to miss the bus if Harshit Rana gets the nod. In the Champions Trophy squad, India have included only three frontline seamers and in the first ODI too, only two seamers played, which shows that the management wants to keep the squad more spin-dominant.
So, if selectors and management want to go with the same combination, then one pacer would have to give-up his spot for Harshit Rana and it is likely to be Arshdeep Singh. The other two, Mohammed Shami and Jasprit Bumrah are proven performers while Arshdeep Singh has played eight ODIs, where he has picked just 12 wickets.
Mohammed Shami, on the other hand, has 195 wickets in just 101 matches and was India's leading wicket-taker in 2023 World Cup. The other pacer, Jasprit Bumrah is almost undroppable and is the best in the world with 149 wickets in 89 ODIs. Also, Arshdeep Singh has not been picked in the first ODI which shows that he could be the casualty if Harshit Rana makes it to the squad.
 "Aashay Chopade")
