India squads for Champions Trophy, England ODIs LIVE: Should India pick Karun Nair and Devdutt Padikkal?

India squads for England ODI series and Champions Trophy LIVE Updates: Indian cricket team suffered massively in Australia as batters failed to perform. In such a case, the BCCI could look at Karun Nair and Devdutt Padikkal who re in blistering form currently in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Meanwhile, Sitanshu Kotak set to become India’s batting coach. read more

India and Pakistan are the only remaining teams yet to announce their squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. Reuters

The BCCI had asked the ICC for an extension after failing to announce their squad for the Champions Trophy by the 12 January deadline, and are expected to announce it along with the squad for the three-match ODI series against England sometime this week, with BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla indicating it will be announced by Saturday or Sunday. Apart from two-time champions India and hosts as well as defending champions Pakistan, all teams participating in the Champions Trophy have announced their provisional squads for the Champions Trophy.

England, the team that had finished runners-up in 2004 and 2013, were the first to unveil their squad for the ICC Champions Trophy, having done so on 21 December – adding the squad for the white-ball tour of India to the announcement as well.

New Zealand, the team that had won the Champions Trophy in 2000 (then known as the ICC KnockOut Tournament) after defeating India in the final, unveiled their squad early on Sunday, 12 January – the deadline set by ICC for teams to unveil their provisional squads.

Bangladesh, the team that had reached the semi-finals the last time the Champions Trophy had taken place, had unveiled their squad after the Black Caps. Shakib Al Hasan and Litton Das were some of the notable exclusions from the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led squad, which possibly signalled the end of the former’s iconic international career.

After Bangladesh, it was Afghanistan announcing their provisional squad for the Champions Trophy. The Afghans had reached the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup last year and had nearly pulled off the feat in the 2023 ICC World Cup in India, and given their solid performances of late, will be among the dark horses heading into the tournament.

Two-time champions Australia unveiled their squad for the ICC Champions Trophy on Monday, 13 January – a day after the ICC deadline. Skipper Pat Cummins and pace colleague Josh Hazlewood were included despite fitness concerns which led to them being rested for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.

South Africa, winners of the inaugural ICC Champions Trophy in 1998 (then known as the ICC KnockOut Tournament) announced their squad on the same day as Australia in which pacers Anrich Nortje and Lungi Ngidi returned to the side after injury-forced absences. Nortje, however, has since been ruled out with a back injury and Proteas white-ball coach Rob Walter is yet to name a replacement.

According to BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla, the squads will be announced this weekend, i.e. by 18 or 19 January. ( )

The BCCI was expected to unveil Team India’s squads for the white-ball series against England as well as the Champions Trophy last weekend. The board, however, only unveiled the squad for the England T20Is and delayed the announcement for the ODI assignments, seeking an extension from the ICC which had set 12 January as the deadline for announcing a provisional squad for the Champions Trophy.

Shami is set for his international return in the T20I series against England that takes place between 22 January and 2 February, and the team management and selectors will take a call on his ODI participation after monitoring his fitness levels in the shorter formats. ( READ MORE )

Senior pacer Mohammed Shami has not represented Team India since the 2023 ICC World Cup, in which he had finished the leading wicket-taker as the Men in Blue finished runners-up.

Here’s India’s schedule for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, as well as the dates for the semi-finals and final:

Latest reports, however, suggest the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee has made a U-turn, and asked Rahul to play the one-dayers against England in order to get some match practice ahead of the ICC event.

Senior wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul was all set to be rested for India’s limited-overs series against England and was assured a spot in the Champions Trophy squad .

Here’s how two-time champions India have fared at the ‘Mini World Cup’ since it came into existence in 1998:

Samson will feel hard done by if he’s not considered, having scored a century in South Africa in his last ODI appearance.

Samson, however, might find it difficult to feature in the 50-over format with stalwarts Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli still around, the former still the leader in Tests and ODIs, and the team management likely to stick with Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul for the longer formats.

Sanju Samson has been on a roll in T20Is recently, smashing three centuries in five games during the bilateral series’ against Bangladesh (home) and South Africa (away), leading to calls for the Kerala wicketkeeper-batter to be drafted into India’s one-day squad for the England series as well as the Champions Trophy.

The white jacket that will be worn by the winners of the Champions Trophy 2025 has been launched by Akram .

Amid the news that BCCI is looking to add a batting coach to Team India’s support staff, legendary Kevin Pietersen has expressed his interest. Pietersen replied “Available” to a social media post X informing that the Indian cricket team could soon have a new batting coach.

Sitanshu Kotak will be Team India’s new batting coach for the white-ball series against England at home which starts on 22 January, it has been reported by the Indian Express. “Kotak will be joining the Indian team as a batting coach. The Indian team will be having a three day-camp in Kolkata and players will be reporting on January 18,” a BCCI source told IE.

Kotak has extensive coaching experience in domestic cricket and is currently a member of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) coaching staff.

Kotak amassed 3083 runs in 89 List A matches at 42.23 with three hundreds and 26 fifties. He had the highest score of 122*. The former left-handed batter also played in nine T20s.

The 52-year-old Sitanshu Hargovindbhai Kotak is a domestic stalwart, having played 130 first-class matches for Saurashtra. He scored 8061 runs at an average of 41.76, smashed 15 hundreds and 55 fifties with a highest score of 168*.

The appointment of Sitanshu Kotak as Team India’s batting coach comes following a review meeting held by the BCCI in Mumbai last weekend to analyse India’s string of disappointing series defeats. The poor run began with a white-ball loss in Sri Lanka, followed by an unprecedented 3-0 Test series defeat at home against New Zealand, and culminated in a 3-1 loss to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In BGT, Kohli and Rohit together scored 221 runs as Indian batting failed miserably.

“We’re committed to ensuring cricket lovers can attend without unnecessary hurdles. The UAE offers unmatched facilities and government support, making it a prime location for events, even at short notice,” he concluded.

“Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, ensuring fans from both India and Pakistan, as well as others, can enjoy the action,” Ahmed said.

Emirates Cricket Board COO Subhan Ahmed says tickets for the India vs Pakistan Champions Trophy 2025 match will be available on first-come, first-served basis.

The Champions Trophy 2025 will be played in Pakistan and Dubai from 19 February. The final will take place in Lahore/Dubai on 9 March.

“You’re young and have a lot of cricket ahead of you, so take your time recovering.”

“I talked to Saim Ayub last night. He told me that he needs three weeks, and only after that will his rehab begin,” Afridi said. “I advised him not to rush the process. Even the slightest injury, if not allowed to heal properly, can turn into a prolonged issue.

Padikkal’s performances have earned him back-to-back Player of the Match awards, along with a remarkable milestone – the highest batting average in List A cricket among players with at least 2,000 runs. He crossed the 2,000-run mark during his crucial knock of 86 in the semi-finals, which ended defending champions Haryana’s campaign.

Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal may not be a top contender for upcoming ODI assignments but the Royal Challengers Bangalore batter has been in blistering form in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, smashing 102 and 86 against Baroda and Haryana respectively to propel Karnataka into the final of the 2024-25 edition.

Karun Nair is in blistering form in Vijay Hazare Trophy. Today he made 88 not out of just 44 balls for Vidarbha against Maharashtra. His last six innings are 122*, 112, 111*, 163*, 44* and 112*. He last played for India in a Test against Australia in 2017.

“Gambhir is very strict about discipline. He reprimanded Morkel immediately at the ground. The board has been told that Morkel was a bit reserved during the rest of the tour. It’s up to these two to sort it out for the team to function smoothly,” a BCCI source told TOI.

It has been reported that Gambhir reprimanded bowling coach Morne Morkel on Australia tour in front of players.

As per news agency PTI, the opening ceremony of Champions Trophy 2025 will be held on 16 or 17 February. PCB hopes India captain Rohit Sharma will attend the event in Pakistan. India will be playing their Champions Trophy 2025 matches at Dubai under a hybrid model.

“I never understood how he was dropped after a triple century. It pains me that no one talks about players like him.”

“Many are selected on the basis of just two games, some are just selected basis the IPL. So, why are rules different for him? People say Rohit and Virat are out of form, and you’re sending them to Ranji. But those who are playing Ranji and scoring runs… why are you ignoring them? When will these guys play? They are scoring runs here.

“I’m looking at his stats. In 2024/25, he played six innings, remained not out in 5, scoring 664 and that was his average. And he’s played at a strike rate of 120. And they don’t pick him. It’s unfair,” Harbhajan said on YouTube.

After renowned cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle called on the BCCI to ban cricketers from using PR agencies, fans urged the Indian cricket board to address the “root issue” and focus on protecting the game rather than on glamour. ( READ MORE

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India squads for England ODI series and Champions Trophy LIVE: Five days since the BCCI announced India’s squad for the T20I series against England, the wait goes on for the Men in Blue’s squads for their first 50-over assignments in months – the three-match ODI series against England that takes place next month followed by the ICC Champions Trophy.

Team India haven’t played a whole lot of ODI cricket; they had played just one bilateral series last year, suffering a 0-2 loss during their tour of Sri Lanka that was India’s first defeat since Gautam Gambhir took over as head coach. The year 2024 was otherwise dominated by Tests and T20Is, with a World Cup being staged in the latter format during the summer in the United States and the Caribbean.

Though the fast-paced T20Is are expected to be exciting as ever, the focus will be slightly more intense on the ODIs against the Jos Buttler-led English team as it will be a final dress rehearsal before the Champions Trophy.

Who will captain Team India in the England ODIs and the ICC Champions Trophy?

The spotlight will be on out-of-form batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the former continuing to lead the side in the 50-over format despite his horror run in recent Tests, and whether they are able to regain their form with the ball changing colour.

Additionally, senior pacer Mohammed Shami will be making his long-awaited comeback from injury to the Indian team in the T20Is against England and the subsequent ODIs will give the team management a fair idea whether he will be able to handle the rigours of the 50-over format or not.

When will Team India announce their squad for the Champions Trophy?

According to BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla, the squads for the ODI series against England as well as the ICC Champions Trophy are expected to be announced by the coming weekend, i.e. 18 or 19 January.

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