Former batting coach Sanjay Bangar has named India’s squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match against Bangladesh. Sanjay Bangar has picked Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah as his primary seamers, assuming both are fit and available, with Mohammed Shami as the back-up seamer.
Mohammed Shami had problems with his right heel in the ODI World Cup 2023. After the tournament, he underwent surgery and took a year off to recover. He missed major events like the home Test series against England, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the IPL and the T20 World Cup. Shami is now fully recovered.
Mohammed Shami is not a rookie for me – Sanjay Bangar
During a discussion on Star Sports’ ‘Follow the Blues’, Sanjay Bangar picked the preferred XI for the match against Bangladesh. He stated that if both Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah are fit, Mohammed Shami might be left out of the playing XI.
“You eliminate one of the fast bowlers. If Arshdeep and Bumrah are both available, then you can afford to leave out someone like Shami. So for me, Shami is not a starter,” Bangar said.
After proving his fitness in domestic cricket for Bengal, Shami was included in the squad for the five-match T20I series against England. He was also included in the 15-man squad for the prestigious tournament. India will play their first match against Bangladesh on February 20 in Dubai.
Rishabh Pant can be benched – Sanjay Bangar
The former Indian all-rounder said that Ravindra Jadeja or Axar Patel might not make the final XI. Bangar emphasized that Rishabh Pant could be on the bench for India’s 2025 Champions Trophy debut.
“Then one between Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel and one back-up wicketkeeper. So in this case, Rishabh Pant might be on the bench,” Bangar observed.
“My XI would be Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh,” he said.
He has gained fitness and is ready to bowl – Sanjay Bangar
During the conversation, Sanjay Bangar said that Ajit Agarkar was confident about Mohammed Shami’s ability. Bangar noted that India’s bowling attack looks strong with Shami’s return, along with Kuldeep Yadav. He highlighted Shami’s consistent efforts in all three formats for his home team.
“The bowling looks very, very good with Shami and Kuldeep. Shami, as you know, has been working from one format to another, playing in three formats for his home team,” he replied.
“So that is a clear indication that, over a period of time, he has built up his fitness and is ready to bowl the number of overs that are required to bowl at a high intensity. So he should play most of the games right from the first game against England, and as much as possible the match he plays, the better he is, because that’s what history says about Mohammed Shami,” Bangar reasoned.
