The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) announced a 16-member squad for the upcoming ODI series against England on Saturday, January 18. The team will remain the same for the following ICC Champions Trophy 2025 as well, with one exception of Harshit Rana, who’s been added as a cover for Jasprit Bumrah.
Bumrah injured himself during the fifth Test of the recent series against Australia as he opted not to bowl in the match midway throuh Day 2. The speedster’s fitness is being closely monitored by the BCCI medical staff at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru as there’s massive uncertainty about his participation in the Champions Trophy.
Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar revealed that the fast bowler might not be available for the first two ODIs against England and hence Rana has earned his maiden ODI call up along with opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal. However, fast bowler Mohammed Siraj surprisingly failed to find a place in the squad with left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh being preferred over him.
Meanwhile, India captain Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli will be seen playing the ODI format after a long gap of six months as India’s last ODI series was against Sri Lanka in August 2024. The duo has been through poor form in Test cricket in recent times and will be eager to turn things around in the ODIs. Shubman Gill has kept his vice captaincy after being given the responsibility on the Sri Lanka tour.
India also named four spinners in the team, namely Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Washington Sundar. On the other hand, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul were added as two wicketkeepers, with Sanju Samson failing to make the cut despite his good form.
The three-match ODI series is set to begin from February 6 with three matches scheduled in Nagpur, Cuttack and Ahmedabad respectively. The series will act as final preparation for the Men in Blue for the Champions Trophy 2025, which is all set to begin from February 19.
