India, fresh off their recent international successes, will look to make a statement in their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener against Bangladesh. Having reached the final of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 and secured the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup title last year, India will aim to carry their winning momentum into this prestigious tournament.
Historically, India has enjoyed success in the Champions Trophy, lifting the title twice—in 2002 (as co-winners with Sri Lanka) and in 2013. However, this time, Rohit Sharma’s side will be without their star bowler, Jasprit Bumrah, who has been sidelined due to injury. The team has instead opted for a spin-heavy bowling attack, hoping that their tweakers can make an impact in the tournament.
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Their first challenge comes against Bangladesh, a team that has a reputation for causing upsets in major tournaments. The Tigers will draw inspiration from their famous victory over India in the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup and will look to their experienced players to step up on Thursday in Dubai.
India enters the Champions Trophy in red-hot form, having dominated England in recent white-ball series. In January, India clean-swept England 3-0 in an ODI series, reinforcing their status as one of the tournament favorites. Prior to that, they also outplayed England in a five-match T20I series, winning 4-1. These seven victories in the past month have provided the squad with a strong confidence boost ahead of their campaign opener.
On the other hand, Bangladesh’s form has been inconsistent. The team has not played any international cricket since December, when they toured the West Indies. During that series, Bangladesh suffered a 3-0 whitewash in the ODI format but managed to recover by winning all three T20Is against the hosts. Before that, they had also lost 2-1 to Afghanistan in an ODI series in the UAE. With their last official ODI match played two months ago, Bangladesh will need to quickly adjust to the conditions and find their rhythm.
Arshdeep Singh (India): With Jasprit Bumrah absent, the focus shifts to India’s bowling attack, where 26-year-old left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh is expected to take charge with the new ball. Despite his limited ODI experience (9 matches), Arshdeep has already picked up 14 wickets at an impressive average of 23.00. His ability to swing the ball early and maintain control at the death will be crucial for India.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Bangladesh): The 27-year-old all-rounder is in peak form and will be central to Bangladesh’s hopes in the Champions Trophy. In his last ODI series, Mehidy scored 152 runs in three matches at an average of 50.66, along with a strike rate of 84.91. Additionally, he showcased his bowling prowess by picking up eight wickets in the T20I series against the West Indies. His ability to contribute with both bat and ball makes him one of Bangladesh’s most valuable players.
India Squad for Champions Trophy
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Bangladesh Squad for Champions Trophy
Nazmul Hossain Shanto (c), Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Tawhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, MD Mahmud Ullah, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossain Emon, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana.
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