Ajit Agarkar’s selection committee is expected to announce the Indian team late this week since the ICC deadline for submission of the squads stands at January 12 which questions the status of various senior players.  

Indian captain Rohit Sharma and former captain Virat Kohli are likely to keep their place in the ODI team despite a dismal performance with the bat in test cricket against New Zealand and Australia. According to the Press Trust of India PTI, both of them are likely to stay in the team.  

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s impressive spiel in the test match has given him share, compliments earned enough for him to be able to be included in the team for making it to the squad. Despite not having made his ODI debut yet, the 23-year-old will bolster the top four with another left hand option.

Will Mohammed Shami, KL Rahul, and Ravindra Jadeja Find Their Place in The Final Squad?

Rishab Pant’s inclusion into the squad would mean that KL Rahul might lose his position since he was removed as the wicket keeper for India’s squad during the 2023 ODI World Cup. Rahul auto-removed as the first-choice wicket for India’s squad during the same which happens to be the first ODI of a series against Sri Lanka. Rishab Pant was in his sports hiatus of 15 months after an unfortunate car accident and since has only participated in this single series.

Furthermore, Sanju Samson is in competition with Rahul for the second keeping position in the team, which depends on whether the selection committee follows through with the decision to select Rahul or not. There are strong indications that Gautam Gambhir’s view towards Sanju would affect the selection altogether.

Ravindra Jadeja’s spot has now been contested with Axar Patel where the information made available indicates that Axar Patel is predicted to be more efficient when it comes to white ball cricket. Washington Sundar is considerably more junior to the teams’ sole off-spinner but is expected to get a nod for the position.

Kuldeep Yadav has emerged as a major concern regarding fitness, as the ace wrist spinner has not participated in any game in the Vijay Hazare Trophy following his recent surgery. Assuming that is the case with Kuldeep, Ravi Bishnoi or Varun Chakravarthy will be picked in his place.

The position of Mohammed Shami’s selection is still very much up in the air, and that is because the fitness of the player is still not determined by cross checking with the team management and selection committee.

Players In Contention For Champions Trophy Squad (As Per PTI):Rohit Sharma (capt), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy/Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan/Mohammed Shami, Rinku Singh/Tilak Varma