Gavaskar and Irfan Pathan also sprung a big surprise when they chose Yashasvi Jaiswal to open alongside Rohit Sharma in the tournament. Both of them agreed to have Shubman Gill as the backup opener in the side rather than including him in the first choice-Playing XI.
During a discussion on Star Sports show 'Game Plan', Sunil Gavaskar and Irfan Pathan agreed to have Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Virat Kohli as India's top three. The duo picked Shreyas Iyer due to his excellent batting form in recent ODIs and the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
When asked about the wicketkeepers, both KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant were picked in the first-choice Playing XI making it a strong and deep batting order. Sanju Samson was chosen as the third wicketkeeper due to his bright T20I form.
Ravindra Jadeja over Axar Patel
Surprisingly, both Sunil Gavaskar and Irfan Pathan insisted on having a long batting line-up with Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja at No. 7 and No. 8. They picked Nitish Kumar Reddy as back-up allrounder on the basis of his excellent Test debut recently. Axar Patel didn't find a place in the squad.
"Having a fast-bowling all-rounder as your backup is a wonderful option. Nitish Kumar Reddy is on a high also. Not easy to perform in Australia, he has done that," the former India all-rounder added.
"Mohammed Siraj will be the third one, not in the playing XI if Bumrah and Shami are available but we have got to see what happens with Bumrah going forward. We hope that the injury is not that severe," Irfan Pathan said.
Kuldeep, meanwhile, is yet to get back on the field after his surgery in the groin area. However, the biggest concern will be of Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah suffered a side strain during the Sydney Test against Australia and there has been no update on his fitness since that game.
Sunil Gavaskar and Irfan Pathan's India squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025
Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill, Sanju Samson (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy
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