Champions Trophy 2025 squad selection meeting: Injury concerns plague Ajit Agarkar-led panel

Champions Trophy 2025 squad selection meeting: Injury concerns plague Ajit Agarkar-led panel

As the Ajit Agarkar-led national selection committee meets at the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) headquarters on Saturday to pick India’s squad for the Champions Trophy, it has plenty to ponder.

The committee missed out on the scheduled deadline of submitting the provisional squad by a week, and Jasprit Bumrah’s availability remains a major area of concern.

There hasn’t been any official word on Bumrah’s fitness ever since he did not come out to bowl in the second innings of the final Test against Australia in Sydney earlier this month. And, the selectors need to be clear on the graveness of the injury, and whether the star pacer could be match-ready in time if the injury is not serious.

Contrary to reports that Bumrah could miss out, sources indicate that there’s a possibility of keeping the pacer in the 15-member squad, even though his availability will be subject to fitness. According to the guidelines, the teams can make changes to its squad until a week before the tournament begins, and that gives the teams a buffer.

But in case Bumrah does not recover in time, the focus will be on another pacer Mohammed Shami, who is set to return to the Indian team for the T20I series against England, after fourteen months. He will be constantly monitored by the Board’s medical team during the T20I series, and it needs to be seen how Shami shapes up.

And the fitness woes do not end there.

Spinner Kuldeep Yadav, recovering after surgery, has been undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy and even though he seems fine so far, it needs to be seen whether the selectors pick him for the England ODIs, leading up to the Champions Trophy.

There will be debates on who will be the two wicket-keepers making the cut – will it be KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant or will the selectors explore options in Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel? However, with Sanju skipping the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Kerala, there could be a possible repurcation on his selection and as things stand now, it could be a straightforward choice with Rahul and Pant, and Jurel in the stand-by.

While Rohit Sharma will lead the side, despite going through a rough patch and Virat Kohli will continue as a key batter, sources suggest that Yashasvi Jaiswal could be a clear choice in the side. Jaiswal scored 1771 runs in 23 games across formats last year, and that, sources indicate, could seal the deal for the young batter from Mumbai.

With the selectors also set to pick the squad for the ODIs against England, it needs to be seen if they consider Karun Nair, who scored 752 runs in just seven innings of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, in the squad.

At a time when the BCCI has tightened the screws, with a 10-pointer policy for the players, making the right choice remains a challenge for the five wise men.