India can wait till 13th February to announce their squad
Photo : AP
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- ICC's deadline to submit the Champions Trophy squad is Sunday
- India might delay their announcement
- India will host England for 3 ODIs and 5 T20Is
An air of suspense continues to revolve around India's 2025 Champions Trophy squad, with just one day to go before the International Cricket Council's (ICC) deadline for teams to name their provisional squad. As per the world cricket governing body's mandate, all teams have to submit their 15-member travelling squad by Sunday (12th January).
Before the 2025 Champions Trophy (CT), India is set to play five T20Is and three ODIs against England at home from January 22 to February 12. The Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee is set to meet on Saturday (January 11); it is likely that only the squad for the T20 series will be announced.
As per a report by Cricbuzz, the BCCI is set to postpone the announcement of the 2025 Champions Trophy (CT) squad and ask the ICC for an extension due to the team being busy in a five-match Test series in Australia till last week.
Apart from Jasprit Bumrah, India is likely to name the same squad for the ODI series against England as the one that will play the marquee event in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Can BCCI Wait Till 13th February For Champions Trophy 2025 Squad Announcement?
It is worth noting that the ICC deadline is only to submit a provisional squad, and all teams are allowed to make any number of changes to their team till 13th February. The Indian selectors can opt to privately submit the squad to the ICC and wait till the second deadline for the public announcement.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) opted for a similar strategy ahead of both the 2023 Cricket World Cup and 2024 T20 World Cup when they made their squad public only days before the tournament and did not make any announcement on both occasions before the provisional squad deadline. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh also did the same before the 2023 World Cup hosted by India.
With India not playing any ODI cricket since August, Agarkar and Co. can wait for the three-match ODI series against England to finish on February 12 before naming the 15-man squad.
However, it is worth noting that India has always named their squads on the first deadline. However, they did make a change before the 2021 T20 World Cup as Shardul Thakur replaced Axar Patel. During the 2022 T20 World Cup and 2023 World Cup, injuries to Jasprit Bumrah and Axar Patel also forced the team to change their original squad.
It is worth noting that after February 13, teams will only be able to make changes after an approval from the ICC technical committee.
The Rohit Sharma-led side will open their campaign against Bangladesh on February 20 before a blockbuster clash against Pakistan on 23rd February. They will play their final game in the league phase on March 2nd against New Zealand. All matches of the Indian team will take place in Dubai.
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