Fast bowler Arshdeep Singh was left out of India’s playing XI for their 2025 Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on February 20. Since the BCCI opted against traveling to Pakistan, India is playing its matches in Dubai.
At the toss, captain Rohit Sharma confirmed that Mohammed Shami and Harshit Rana were chosen as the primary pacers, with Arshdeep Singh omitted. The bowling attack also includes seam-bowling all-rounder Hardik Pandya, spinner Kuldeep Yadav, and spin all-rounders Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja.
Rohit did not specify why Arshdeep was excluded, but the team appeared to favor Rana’s hit-the-deck style over Arshdeep’s left-arm variations. India’s lineup for their Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh is as follows:
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav.
Our Playing XI for #BANvIND 👊
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/ggnxmdG0VK#TeamIndia |#ChampionsTrophy pic.twitter.com/pKwRfCt2MR
— BCCI (@BCCI) February 20, 2025
“No Looking Back” – Rohit Sharma ahead of India’s 2025 Champions Trophy opener
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and chose to bat first. However, the decision didn’t impact Rohit Sharma and his team, who had preferred to bowl first. The Indian captain appeared confident in his squad and emphasized the importance of every match in the tournament.
While speaking to Ravi Shastri at the toss, Rohit Sharma stated (via Cricbuzz):
“I would have fielded first. We have played a few years back here so we felt ball comes on better under lights. All looking good. Everyone is fit and fine to go. Let’s hope we start well. There is no looking back, every game becomes very important in this tournament.”
Speaking of the team combination, he stated:
“Only Varun misses out from the last ODI we played, Jadeja comes back and Arshdeep misses and Shami comes back.”
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.
