With the BCCI finally confirming India’s participation in the Champions Trophy, we can now look ahead and speculate as to who would make the final cut for the Indian team. India are the defending champions and will head into the tournament on the back of a really good home season. This will be Kohli’s first ever ICC tournament as a captain and all eyes will be on him to see how he fares in his role. So with everything being considered, here is India’s 15 man squad for the ICC Champions Trophy.
Batsmen – Top Order
Rohit Sharma ( Opener )
The Mumbai Indians captain has been a regular for India at the top of the order. His consistent performances have been a reliable source of runs over the years.
Though he was injured recently his return to form in the IPL will be good news for the selectors as they would have high hopes on Sharma.
Sharma played a crucial role in India’s Champions Trophy success in 2013 and he will be expected to play a big hand if India are to retain the trophy.
Ajinkya Rahane ( Opener )
Rahane remains an enigma to many people. While his Test record cannot be questioned his performances in the limited overs format has been a question mark for some time now.
In spite of being handed many opportunities, Rahane is yet to fully capitalize and has failed to nail down a spot for himself in the side.
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Given his poor form in the ongoing IPL season, Rahane would be fearing for his place in the side. But given the lack of alternate options, he should sneak into the side.
Shikhar Dhawan ( Opener )
The Delhi opener was the find of the Champions Trophy last time around. Dhawan was the named the Player of the tournament as his attacking batting gave the team a fantastic platform to build on.
His partnership with Sharma gave the team a solid foundation which also gave the middle order the chance to take their time and play their natural game.
Dhawan may have not recently featured prominently in the side, but his good performances in the IPL coupled with India’s lack of options means that he will get into the squad.
