India has announced its 15-member provisional squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy next month, with notable returns and inclusions.
Injured fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who has been recovering from back spasms, and spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who was sidelined with a groin issue in October, have both been named in the squad.
Wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who was excluded from the T20 series against England earlier this month, has also made the cut for the prestigious 50-over competition.
The squad was revealed by chief selector Ajit Agarkar and captain Rohit Sharma on Saturday.
Bumrah, India’s highest wicket-taker in the recent Test series against Australia, had to withdraw from the final Test in Sydney due to his back injury. His inclusion in the squad, despite the setback, is seen as a crucial addition to India’s bowling strength.
Keeping Bumrah’s fitness in mind, Harshit Rana comes into India’s squad for the England ODIs, preceding the Champions Trophy, as a cover.
Similarly, fast bowler Mohammed Shami, who is set to return to international cricket after recovering from an ankle surgery that kept him out for over a year, has also been retained in the squad.
“You don’t have to talk about quality when it comes to Shami. We picked him for T20Is just to get him up to speed,” Agarkar commented during a press briefing.
Young opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has represented India in Test and T20 formats, has earned his maiden call-up for One-Day Internationals and is in line to make his ODI debut.
Hardik Pandya, whose last ODI came in the 2023 Men’s Cricket World Cup, features as the sole pace-bowling all-rounder.
Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, and Washington Sundar are the three spin-bowling all-rounders in the squad, and left-arm tweaker Kuldeep Yadav also returns following an injury.
India, placed in Group A, will begin their Champions Trophy campaign against Bangladesh on February 20.
The full squad is as follows:
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja.