The Indian squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy 2017 was finally announced after threats from BCCI to pull out.
India will begin their title defence on June 4 with a game against their arch-rivals Pakistan.
The Indian squad has as much as 9 players from the victorious 2013 campaign.
The selectors also have gone for experience rather than youth this time by including Yuvraj in the squad.
Indian Squad
Virat Kohli(c), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Shami
The recall of Yuvraj Singh was a surprise. Yuvraj had made a comeback to the ODI side earlier this year against England and scored a century in one of the games. Yuvraj hasn’t played too many ODIs for India over the last few years and has mostly been part of the T20 sides.
The inclusion of Dinesh Karthik also is a surprise as he hasn’t been a part of Indian ODI scheme of things over the past year or so. So some strange choices this time from the selectors.
The absence of Suresh Raina means that India are short of power hitters in the XI. MS Dhoni isn’t a power hitter anymore by his own admission and has been batting up the order in the recent games.
The team has only six specialist batsmen, so it will be a battle between Kedar Jadhav and Ajinkya Rahane for that one batting spot.
It will also be interesting if India will field both Ashwin and Jadeja as they did in 2013 or will be tempted to go with Pandya in the X1 as a pace bowling all-rounder.
So there will be lots of questions in Virat Kohli’s mind ahead of the first game.
The bowling unit though is as good as it gets according to Indian standards. Ishant Sharma misses out this time but again he hasn’t been in great form in the recent years. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav in all probability will be taking the new ball and Bumrah will be playing as the first change.
Even though Mohammed Shami is India’s best limited overs pacer, he is coming back after a long injury layoff and the few games he played in the IPL, he did not look anywhere near his best.
So the bowling attack gives a kind of a settled look with Jaspreet Bumrah surprisingly leading the pack.
The Indian squad is kind of a hit and miss and Virat would have to make the best use of the resources at his disposal.
India’s Probable X1 in their first game against Pakistan
Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Jaspreet Bumrah
Rahane misses out as the team already has Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli who bat in a similar way to Rahane.
Having Jadhav in the middle order gives the batting line up some spark in the slog overs.
Hardik Pandya also misses out as India’s strength has always been their spinners and India should play both Ravi Ashwin and Jadeja in the X1.
India might still swap one of the spinners for Pandya if the pitch has a bit in it for the pacers.
Mohammed Shami also misses out as Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yadav and Bumrah have been in great form with the ball.
It will be difficult for India to replicate their 2013 success but again if the pitches are anywhere close to what they encountered in the last edition anything can happen.
Tapeshwer Singh
Guest
shami still doesn't look a 100%, and bhuvi is in terrific form,easy decision tbh
Giri Subramanian
Roar Guru
The second warm up was even better for India as they thrashed Bangladesh by more than 200 runs. The bowling fired and Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik and Hardik scored runs. This will present with a selection headache for the Indian think tank. With Yuvi not batting in both the warm up games, I don't think he is going to be in the starting X1. Dinesh Karthik after that performance might play as a batsman in the middle order. Rahane after two failures is for sure going to be dropped. The question is how are they going to fit Hardik Pandya in the X1? WIth Bhuvi, Yadav and Shami all in great form, the bowling selection is going to be difficult as well. Bumrah is going to be playing too. Thank god I am not the selector. I am thinking that Hardik, even after that performance is going to find himself out. Indian might play two spinners along with Yadav, Bhuvi and Bumrah. If India want to include Shami as well they need to drop one of the spinners.
shubham sharma
Guest
i think dhawan is getting back into the form, just get the feeling that kohli will own this tournament rohit is the key, i have always felt he is a high class player and has got as much as talent as the likes of abd,kohli etc. he is coming back from injury, didn't had great ipl , but that doesn't matter as he batted in the middle order. He is a big player for india, because on these flat wickets, if he gets going we might see another double hundred from him
Giri Subramanian
Roar Guru
Yes it does look like India might have a great chance here. Lots of sides except for SA have a one dimensional units, India has a good balance. I just hope that Dhawan, Rohit and Yuvi get into the groove quick as they will play all the games.
shubham sharma
Guest
after watching india dominate nz yesterday in english conditions, i must say our boys are looking in real good shape to defend the trophy, bowling side of things looks very threatening(all are wicket takers). And if the pitches are flat then indian batsmen will plunder runs, things looking very bright for india
Giri Subramanian
Roar Guru
After the first warm up game, the battle for place in the X1 gets really interesting. Shami, even though expensive was very good with the new ball. Bhuvneshwar Kumar did not do his chances any harm by picking up those 3 crucial wickets. Yadav in his brief spell took a wicket but again he bowled when NZ were struggling. The spinners did their job adequately. The batting though, Rahane would be disappointed as he was competing with Dhawan for one opener spot. Dhawan, though scratchy scored some runs and spent some time in the middle. Dinesh Karthik failed but he was not going to be the first choice middle order option anyways. Hardik Pandya had a very poor game going for 8 runs an over in a game when your opponents were bowled out of just 189. He still has one more warm up game against Bangladesh to get used to the conditions. So overall an interesting game and gives few more headaches to the selectors. India have to play both Ashwin and Jadeja considering how the pitches have been. The pace bowling race also gets interesting. If Shami and Bhuvi are chosen as two pacers, the third spot goes to Bumrah. Yadav might miss out, but he did not do that bad either. So it is going to be really interesting as to how India will go for their first game. The Bangladesh warm up game will give us more clarity as to who might end up in the X1.
Giri Subramanian
Roar Guru
Spin seems to be important on these wickets which are either dry or flat. Even on flat wickets, spinners probably will have more impact than the pacers.
davSA
Guest
Last night Maharaj for SA looked quite threatening . He in fact was very unlucky not to get better returns in his first spell.... It would be great to see him and Tahir in tandem . I think they would really compliment each other . The big question .....Is spin to decide this tournament ?
Giri Subramanian
Roar Guru
Like I said the 2013 tournament was the same and India cashed in with Dhawan scoring lots of runs. If English pitches are similar to that, it will be playing into the hands of the subcontinent sides.
Giri Subramanian
Roar Guru
Seems like Mohammed Shami has sealed his spot in the X1. Not sure who he will replace. It will be interesting to see if India will go with Yadav or Bhuvi as the second seamer.
Giri Subramanian
Roar Guru
I think the pitches will reflect the home teams strength which is batting. England have an explosive batting line up and are expected to win a lot of batting shoot outs. With Moeen and Rashid they have decent spinners as well.
davSA
Guest
After 2 games SA vs England 1264 runs scored , 27 wickets taken . That's an average of 47 runs per batsman . That I am afraid is what is going to happen in the Champions trophy.
brent elms
Guest
well after watching saffers play against the poms and pitches expected to be flat with some assistance to spinners, i would say india have the best bowling attack of the tournament. They have variety,they have specialist death bowlers and world class spin bowlers. Add to that their batting which i think will score big on flat roads of eng ind along with eng looking strong favourites, australia can win it if their fast bowlers don't leak runs on those roads
DavSA
Guest
Not strange at all Luke . It looks very good but also has real variety . Out and out pace for the reasons I have put forward on a previous post may not be that effective.
luuke luketer
Roar Rookie
strange saying this but India has the best bowling attack.........Yadav , Shami , Bhuvi (yorkers) , Bumrah (yorkers) and the spinners........
Giri Subramanian
Roar Guru
I agree. I wasn't too happy with the squad when I saw Karthik, Yuvraj and Dhawan. KL Rahul got injured again so the selectors had to choose Dhawan but Uthappa or Pant could have been chosen in the place of Karthik. Sanju Samson is another name that comes to mind. Yuvraj scored a big hundred against England earlier this year but I am not sure about his form at the moment. He did not do anything special in IPL.
Giri Subramanian
Roar Guru
If the pitches are flat then England become one of the favorites to win the tournament. The English team is packed with power hitters and can rake up big totals with the bat. The South African team will rely heavily on Hashim Amla and DeVilliers. Faf has looked in good touch as well. So they do have 4 batters including De Kock who can be dangerous on their day. SA's bowling attack has pace and they can take the pitch out of the equation. I feel that the only thing which hampers SA is their temperament in big tournaments. Pakistan aren't favorites but can upset a few along the way. Their batting is completely devoid of any big hitters and if the pitches are flat they would struggle to match up to the batting powerhouses such as England and Australia. NZ as usual will always do well in ICC tournaments. I always back them to reach the final four. For me India, Australia and SA are on the same level in terms of their chances. England surely have higher chances of lifting the title as they are playing at home and they probably have the best ODI squad in this Champions Trophy.
DavSA
Guest
An additional thought ..... Both India and Australia are mentally not afraid to win big tournaments. This too will be a factor . My own side the Proteas , no matter how much they may believe in their abilities must , must in the back of their minds have that element of uncertainty .... The more they try and think themselves out of that awful chockers hole the worse it probably gets .
DavSA
Guest
In your previous article I felt that India must come in as one of the favourites. Previously I would have had them as only second favourites but the first odi recently between SA and Eng has changed my mind. I believe that Eng have laid down a marker as to pitch conditions in the CT in that game and will have flat tracks prepared for the series to suit there deep batting and neutralize the superb pace attacks of SA and Aus in particular. The main reason I feel that will bring India into contention is their bowling . They have the spin attack which can both attack and defend. Unlike for example Imran Tahir who is only effective attacking and is not renown as a defensive bowler . Taking the pace off the ball is going to become imo a factor . It will also bring both Pakistan and NZ stronger into the picture than I would have previously thought. I would not be the least surprised to occasionaly see for example a spinner opening the bowling to say a De Kock or Warner who both prefer it to come onto the bat at pace.
Kopa Shamsu
Guest
on paper looks good,but there are many ifs and buts,if india have to win mark this players Yuvi,dhoni,rahane,shami,ashwin...This five will have to perform big.India has good bowling allrounders in jadeja,ashwin,but lack in both batting and bowling,Rahane will have to carry middle order,dhoni will have to find his finisher form,Yuvi will need to rediscover his spark,otherwise consider this is over.