No Mohammed Siraj, Shubman Gill vice-captain: India's Champions Trophy squad receives mixed reaction

While not much different from what was expected, a few choices raised eyebrows after Rohit Sharma and Ajit Agarkar announced India's Champions Trophy 2025 squad at a press conference. The India captain and chief selector revealed the squads for the England ODIs and Champions Trophy at Wankhede Stadium after a selection meeting that lasted just over two hours.

India's squad for the #ChampionsTrophy 2025 announced! ? ?

Drop in a message in the comments below ? to cheer for #TeamIndia pic.twitter.com/eFyXkKSmcO

¡ª BCCI (@BCCI) January 18, 2025

Rohit will lead India in the ICC tournament, but the vice-captaincy choice surprised many, with Shubman Gill being named as his deputy. Jasprit Bumrah has been included for the Champions Trophy but not the England ODIs. KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant have been picked as the two wicketkeeper-batters, while batter Yashasvi Jaiswal has earned a maiden call-up. Shreyas Iyer and Mohammed Shami are both making a return.

Mohammed Siraj dropped

Interestingly, despite being part of all major tournaments since making his debut for Team India, Siraj was not selected for this event. When asked, the Indian skipper said, "We only wanted three seamers. Unfortunately, he (Siraj) had to miss out. Siraj's effectiveness comes down when not bowling with the new ball. We had no option but to select guys for specific roles¡ªthose who can bowl with the new ball, be effective in the middle overs, and at the back end. With these three (Shami, Harshit, and Arshdeep), we can do that."

Other exclusions and inclusions

Rohit added, "Shami is a stalwart. Arshdeep has the experience, and Harshit has the potential. I know it's hard to ignore numbers, but look at Jaiswal¡ªwe¡¯ve picked him despite his limited ODI experience. Some players will miss out. You can't please everyone. We want the best possible squad to win games in different situations."

Fans¡¯ reaction

Netizens have expressed displeasure with the squad, particularly the omissions of Sanju Samson, Siraj, and Nitish Kumar Reddy. Many have also voiced their opinions on Shubman Gill's appointment as vice-captain.

NO SIRAJ & SAMSON IN CHAMPIONS TROPHY SQUAD. ? pic.twitter.com/YdttaAR5I8

¡ª Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 18, 2025

One wrote, "Sickening. same old deadwood. Karun Nair did wonders in Vijay Hazare trophy. He didn¡¯t get selected. Sanju Samson proved himself time & again, he¡¯s not there, Nitish Kumar Reddy could have been a great allrounder option, he¡¯s dumped. Gill, a fraud- Vice captain! Shame".

Sickening. same old deadwood. Karun Nair did wonders in Vijay Hazare trophy. He didn¡¯t get selected. Sanju Samson proved himself time & again, he¡¯s not there, Nitish Kumar Reddy could have been a great allrounder option, he¡¯s dumped. Gill, a fraud- Vice captain! Shame.¡­

¡ª Ganeshan (@ganeshan_iyer) January 18, 2025

Another wrote, "Ravindra Jadeja in the team is totally unnecessary and waste of a position. Should have picked either Nitish Kumar Reddy or another seamer".

Ravindra Jadeja in the team is totally unnecessary and waste of a position. Should have picked either Nitish Kumar Reddy or another seamer.

¡ª Tarini Prasad Sahoo (@TariniPrasad02) January 18, 2025

While another said it looked like a solid team, but asked, "Right call or a big miss?"

India¡¯s Champions Trophy 2025 squad is here! ???

Rohit (C), Gill (VC), Kohli, Iyer, Rahul, Hardik, Bumrah, Jadeja & more.

No Suryakumar or Siraj! ?

Right call or a big miss? Share your views! ?#ChampionsTrophy #TeamIndia#TeamIndiaSquad #ChampionsTrophy2025 #RohitSharma pic.twitter.com/ynaBdLiGAo

¡ª ELVISA? (@ELVISA_AMBANI) January 18, 2025

Squads:

Champions Trophy Squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Rishabh Pant(wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal

England ODI Squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Rishabh Pant(wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Washington Sundar, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal

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