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Injury-Prone Shami, Bumrah And...? India's Biggest Weaknesses In Champions Trophy 2025

Muskaan Bhatt∙ Updated: Jan 20 2025, 3:00 PM

The Indian team at ODI WC 2023 (Source: @CrazyCricJohns/X.com)The Indian team at ODI WC 2023 (Source: @CrazyCricJohns/X.com)

India's next ICC challenge is only a few weeks away with the Champions Trophy 2025 all set to begin from 19 February. India will be meeting Bangladesh in their tournament opener but before their journey begins there are a couple of significant concerns that will likely bother the Indian cricket team.

The squad announced by chief selector Ajit Agarkar and India's ODI and Test skipper, Rohit Sharma features some strong inclusions and also some shocking snubs. While the addition of Shreyas Iyer makes headlines, the exclusion of star pacer Mohd. Siraj in the squad has given way to some big questions. With poor form and forgetful past haunting over the Men In Blue, the upcoming tournament with only handful ODIs to be played before, puts up a daunting challenge.

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On that note, in this article, let us take a close look at three weaknesses of India's squad for the highly-anticipated Champions Trophy 2025:

1) India's Too 'Right-Handed' Spiced 

  • The player selection of the squad highlighted that India is not out to make any mistakes on this one, but it also sheds light on the players who will make the top six batters. While the talented Yashasvi Jaiswal has made a name for himself in the longest and shortest format of the game,  he has yet to debut in ODIs for India. If the star batter does not get an opportunity to play, India's top order is expected to feature at least six right-handed batters, potentially leading to some troubles for the Rohit-led side.
  • All players - Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli to Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya are right-handed, restricting any line-up variety. The left-arm off-spinner threat has been a genuine concern for these batters as they have had trouble tackling the ball spinning away. A classic example is their struggle against Sri Lankan spinner Dunith Wellalage and Jeffrey Vandersay. 

2) Knock Knock: Is Bumrah Here Or Not?

  • The Indian team is currently grappling with a significant challenge-the uncertainty surrounding Jasprit Bumrah's availability for the upcoming games. His back injury, sustained during the final match of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, has cast a shadow over his participation. The team is now in a dilemma, with the likelihood of Bumrah's absence from the only three ODIs against England before the tournament being quite high. 
  • As India's second-highest wicket taker in the 2023 ODI World Cup, with an impressive 20 wickets in 11 matches, Bumrah's absence would be keenly felt in India's bowling lineup. His past performance underscores his crucial role in India's bowling arsenal, making his return to fitness all the more vital for India's chances in the tournament. Especially, considering the fact that Mohd. Shami is also returning to the line-up after a prolonged injury, India's pace attack looks slightly weak. It must be understood that returning and making an impactful comeback is a tad bit tougher for the pacers.

3) Game-Time...More Like No-Time?

  • Ahead of the Champions Trophy, India would have only managed to play six ODIs in the long-span of one and half years. Coming after playing weeks of Test cricket, the momentum and rhythm for playing ODIs is understandably very different, hence, the lack of game-time for the Indian players could place a significant problem. 
  • To adapt and respond effectively to the conditions in UAE, the players would need to focus on working harder than ever as an important tournament awaits.

India's Squad For Champions Trophy 2025

Rohit Sharma (Capt.), Shubman Gill (Vice-capt.), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, K.L. Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant (wk), Ravindra Jadeja