India’s squad for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was announced during a press conference attended by captain Rohit Sharma and chief selector Ajit Agarkar. Before the start of the event, Rohit Sharma hinted at another meeting regarding BCCI’s new policy after the BGT loss.
The Indian cricket team suffered back-to-back defeats, including a 3-0 defeat at home against New Zealand and a 3-1 loss in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) in Australia. After these poor performances, India failed to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) for the first time.
The BCCI has introduced a strict 10-point policy for players after poor results
In response, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) introduced a strict 10-point policy for players. The new guidelines mandate participation in domestic cricket, restrict players from traveling separately and families from accompanying cricketers for more than 14 days on overseas tours.
A review meeting was held at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai following the Men in Blue’s poor performance in the Border-Gavaskar series in Australia. Rohit Sharma, Gautam Gambhir and Ajit Agarkar attended the meeting, where top BCCI officials sought explanations for the team’s disappointing results.
Reports from the five-Test tour of Australia also highlighted internal rifts in the team, with Gautam Gambhir’s coaching style coming under scrutiny for the team’s woes. Media reports suggest that the BCCI plans to review Gambhir’s role after the ICC Champions Trophy, which is set to begin on February 19.
Who told you about the rules? – Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma, while discussing the new rules with the chief selector, forgot that the microphone was on. The conversation was interrupted at the beginning of the press conference. Rohit mentioned that he would have to sit for another two hours and discuss it with the BCCI secretary, as everyone was telling him about it.
“Iske baad secretary ke saath mere ko baithna padega family wamily discuss karne ke liye,” (After PC, we have to discuss family rules with the secretary, all players call me”).
pic.twitter.com/u9CyWaTJYy https://t.co/bXgY6iPKgd
— Pushkar (@Musafirr_Hu_yar) January 18, 2025
When a reporter asked Rohit Sharma about it, he replied, “Who told you about the rules? Did it come from an official source? Let’s make it official first.”
India’s final squad for the Champions Trophy will depend on Jasprit Bumrah’s fitness
India’s final squad for the Champions Trophy will be based on the upcoming three ODIs against England on February 6, 9 and 12. This will be their first 50-wicket matches since their tour of Sri Lanka in August 2024. Notably, the International Cricket Council will allow squad changes until February 11.
Team India’s group stage matches will be played in Dubai, where they will face Bangladesh on February 20, Pakistan on February 23 and New Zealand on March 2. The Indian government has refused to allow the team to travel to Pakistan due to security concerns, so all India’s matches will be played in Dubai.
