Three Weak Links in India’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Squad: India will lag in these three sections of the playing 11
The ICC Champions Trophy is just 3 days away from returning at its very best after a long wait of 8 years after the last edition was held in 2017, where this CT’s host, Pakistan, emerged victorious.
India is the most dominant side in limited-overs cricket despite no trophy wins since 2013, when they last won the Champions Trophy under veteran skipper MS Dhoni, but failed to triple it with a final win in the 2017 Champions Trophy when Virat Kohli led the Men in Blue as a skipper in his first ever ICC tournament.
After lots of speculation, the ICC decided to give India the discretion to opt their matches out of Pakistan in Dubai. India will have the undue advantage of playing in the same venue against all oppositions and likely the knockouts as well, which will help them adapt better to the ground conditions as well as the track.
3 weak limbs in India’s ICC Champions Trophy squad:
1. A falling middle-order
India has been promising on their ODI return against the English in the 3-match ODI series; however, the extensive success didn’t bring to notice that most of the runs were accumulated in the Indian top order, with Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, and Rohit Sharma being the major run-getters, both batting first and while chasing.
This has shifted the focus from the poor form of the batters down the order, as KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya have been very unconvincing with the bat, though out of the blue Axar Patel has emerged as their hero with the bat.
2. The unnecessary pile of spinners and lack of experience in the pace deck
India is taking five spinners in their squad for the Champions Trophy. Though India looked promising with Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel in their spin deck, all of them being in form and vastly experienced as well, despite that, India included the likes of Washington Sundar and Varun Chakravarthy, as they decided to drop Yashasvi Jaiswal for the same.
So many spin options and a lack of pace experience have given a big jolt to the Indian bowling lineup going into such a prestigious ICC event.
3. Inexperience even for senior players at Dubai International Stadium
The Indian side does not lack experience, as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli both lead the team with their flourishing years in the game. Also, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, and Hardik Pandya have had comprehensive success for the Men in Blue. However, none of these players has had immense experience playing at the Dubai International Stadium, with India having the experience of just 4 matches previously played on this ground. With no prior experience, this track will be a tough nut to crack initially.
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