Sanju, Karun not in India squad; unfit Bumrah picked, but Shami to lead pace attack
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There were no surprises, but plenty of disappointments when India's squad for the Champions Trophy was announced on Saturday. Karun Nair not finding a spot under the captaincy of Rohit Sharma despite amassing 752 runs from 7 innings in the Vijay Hazare Trophy was probably the biggest setback. Sanju Samson not getting picked despite hitting two centuries in South Africa as late as November was another bad news.
Captain Rohit, whose place in the squad never seemed in doubt despite a dismal form in recent Tests, gave his reasons for the infamous exclusions. “Some players will miss out and it's very, very unlucky and unfortunate. But again, if you talk about everyone you can't please everyone,” Rohit said.
The selectors have picked K L Rahul as back-up wicketkeeper to Rishabh Pant, meaning that just like Sanju, Dhruv Jurel missed out, too. Meanwhile, Yashasvi Jaiswal has got a much-deserved maiden ODI call-up, and the undroppable Jasprit Bumrah has been picked even with fitness issues, the idea being he would be ready at the business end of the Champions Trophy set to begin on February 19.
Bumrah suffered back spasms during the recent Sydney Test against Australia and did not bowl on the final day of the match."We're not sure about Bumrah, whether he's going to play or not," Rohit said.
The selectors have dropped pacer Mohammed Siraj, but Mohammed Shami has gained re-entry to the national fold after last playing in the 2023 ODI World Cup. His domestic form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s and Vijay Hazare Trophy meant a recall was never in doubt. Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh also made the squad.
"Obviously, with Bumrah missing, we're not sure. We wanted Arshdeep to come and play that role of bowling at the back end and Shami, obviously we saw what he did with the new ball,” Rohit said. Shubman Gill has been named vice-captain of the side.
Though the Champions Trophy will be held in Pakistan, India's matches are scheduled to be held in the UAE due to diplomatic tension between the two countries.
India Squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja