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Siraj's Exclusion And...? 3 Shocking Selection Calls In India's Champions Trophy Squad

Aashay Chopade

Mohammed Siraj has not been selected in Champions Trophy Squad (Source: @Criminal_Gogo14/X.com)Mohammed Siraj has not been selected in Champions Trophy Squad (Source: @Criminal_Gogo14/X.com)

The Champions Trophy 2025 is all set to kickstart from 19th of February, and India after a long delay have finally announced their squad for the marquee tournament. Rohit Sharma is leading the Men in Blue while there are some usual big names along with few surprises. 

The squad announcement as always has produced mixed reactions as India is a country with a truckloads of talent and there are bound to be some players who would miss out despite good performances in the past. Also, there are various dynamics like the conditions in play, team combination that play a big role in the selection and here are three surprising moves by Indian selectors in the Champions Trophy squad.

1. Mohammed Siraj's Exclusion

The biggest surprise in India's Champions Trophy squad in the non-selection of Mohammed Siraj. The fast bowler has been regular in the Indian team across formats in the last few years and has played all major tournaments. He played all matches in the 2023 World Cup and was the star of the show in the final of the Asia Cup 2023.

Overall, he has good numbers in ODIs despite some indifferent performance in recent times with 71 wickets in 43 innings. He has a bowling average of 24.04 and has 11 wickets in last eight matches which are not great but decent numbers. His replacement Arshdeep Singh has played just eight ODIs and has grabbed 12 wickets and though he has done well in T20Is, his inexperience could go against him in high-pressure environment.

2. Nitish Reddy's Non-Selection

Nitish Reddy is the rising star in Indian cricket and has done well in T20Is and Test cricket in his debut series. He has shown ability to deliver under pressure, and most importantly, he is a seam-bowling all-rounder, a rare asset who can provide balance to the team.

In India's squad selected for Champions Trophy 2025, Hardik Pandya is the only one with that skillset and if by chance he gets injured, India's balance could go for a toss. It happened in the 2023 World Cup when Hardik got injured and India had to play specialist batter which reduced options at the captain's disposal.

Also, in a big tournament, having a player who can contribute with both and ball is always handy as his inclusion can help the team try out different combinations according to conditions. Reddy also has the potential to bat at 4 and can chip in at seven too, so he could have been a handy option.

3. Rishabh Pant Over Sanju Samson

KL Rahul was the natural first wicketkeeper choice, given his success as a batter in the format from last few years. However, there were debates over the second wicketkeeper and Pant has been chosen Sanju Samson. The left-handed batter has been brilliant for India in Test cricket, but he has not done anything in white-ball cricket and the average of 33.50 in ODIs does not do justice to his talent.

Sanju Samson, on the other hand, has an average of 56.66 and has just one fifty less than Pant under his belt in almost half innings. Samson also has scored runs from number three to number 7 in the format and deserved a place in the squad over Rishabh Pant.