Out of 15 players in the squad, nine have never appeared in the Champions Trophy before
The much-awaited ICC Champions Trophy will kick off on February 19, less than two weeks from now. India’s opening game will be on February 20 against Bangladesh. For India, this tournament will be of the utmost priority, given that things have not looked good since Gautam Gambhir took over the team as its coach.
Not to forget, the Champions Trophy is returning after eight long years—a period during which the Indians have spent recalling the defeat they faced at the hands of PAK in 2017. In short, the upcoming tourney for the Indian side is all about winning no matter what to not only cement the team’s dominating status in ODIs but also prove that it can do wonders under the Gambhir regime.
However, the team already has one hiccup. Given that the tourney is returning after eight long years, several veterans have already left the game, making way for the young blood. In fact, the 15-member Indian side has nine players, including six batters, who have never played in the ICC Champions Trophy before.
When it comes to major ODI tournaments, Pant played four matches in the 2019 ICC World Cup and did not play in the 2023 edition because of his injuries sustained in a near-fatal car accident. In short, Pant’s experience when it comes to major ODI tournaments is next to nil. With 871 runs in 31 ODI matches, the upcoming tournament will be his first-ever Champions Trophy appearance.
When it comes to ODIs, Shubman Gill has a few more games up his sleeve, 47 compared to Pant. Not to forget, he also played nine ICC World Cup games in 2023, scoring 354 runs, which was not considered a great campaign given his potential and the expectations from him. With 2,328 ODI runs, Gill will be making his first Champions Trophy appearance, which will be his second major ODI tourney.
In the 2023 World Cup, Shreyas Iyer had a decent campaign of 530 runs in 11 games. Overall, he has played 62 ODI matches in his career, amassing 2,421 runs. However, he has never played in the Champions Trophy, and the upcoming event will be the first of his career.
A veteran batter on the Indian side, KL Rahul comes with the experience of playing in two ICC World Cup events. Therefore, his first ICC Champions Trophy should not be a significant hurdle, given he also has 77 ODI matches under his belt.
Washington Sundar is another player who has never played in the ICC World Cups or major 50-over tournaments. Not to forget, he has only played 22 ODI matches in his career, having scored 798 runs at an average of 27.21. It will be interesting to see how Sundar handles the pressure of playing in a massive ICC tournament.
Finally, Yashasvi Jaiswal is the last batter who has never played in any of the 50-over or 20-over ICC tournaments. In fact, it’s shocking that he made his ODI debut against England on February 6, 2025, less than two weeks from the tournament. Well, it is understandable that selectors have shown faith in him, given his performances in Test matches.
From February 20, these batters will be put to the test, and they will be expected to churn runs for India if the country wishes to lift the title amid the clouds of doubt regarding the team under Gautam Gambhir and especially about players such as Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.
