India has lost seven out of their last eight Test matches, and now the focus will soon shift to white-ball cricket with the upcoming series against England and the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. Indian players are expected to head home soon, and the senior selection committee will meet to decide the squads for the T20Is, ODIs, and the Champions Trophy.
Chairman Ajit Agarkar, who has been in Australia with the Test team, will start discussions on the white-ball matches along with coach Gautam Gambhir. As per the rules, all teams must submit their provisional 15-member squad by January 12, but changes can be made until February 13. The Champions Trophy starts on February 19.
An ICC official shared, “All teams must submit their provisional squads by January 12 but can make changes until February 13. It is up to the teams whether they want to announce their squad before that, as the ICC will release the final list on February 13.”
All Indian players selected for the Champions Trophy are likely to play the three ODIs against England before the big tournament, with Jasprit Bumrah possibly being the only exception. India’s last 50-over series was against Sri Lanka in August last year, where senior players like Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli played.
Rohit Sharma is set to lead the team in the UAE, with Jasprit Bumrah as his deputy if fitness is not an issue. White-ball specialists like Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, and Arshdeep Singh are also expected to return. The selectors will face the challenge of choosing the best squad due to the abundance of talented players.
Shreyas Iyer has been in excellent form in domestic cricket, scoring runs across formats. Hardik Pandya, too, has shown his ability in T20Is and performed well in three List A matches for Baroda in the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
