With the Champions Trophy on its way, India will kick off their campaign against Bangladesh in Dubai on Thursday, February 20.
India’s batting lineup appears well-settled. Captain Rohit Sharma, in-form Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli will be their top 3. Shreyas Iyer’s aggression in the middle order has been a huge benefit in the recently concluded series against England. KL Rahul will continue as the wicket-keeping batsman ahead of Rishabh Pant, followed by Hardik Pandya.
The primary question revolves around the composition of the bowling attack—specifically, which three spinners and two seamers will make the playing 11.
It seems almost certain that the two left-handed all-rounders, Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel will secure their spots in the team. The third spinner’s slot will likely be a toss-up between Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav, with the latter being the frontrunner to claim the position.
As for the seamers, Mohammad Shami has solidified his place in the side since his return to the Indian team. Arshdeep Singh is expected to be preferred over Harshit Rana as the second seamer in the lineup.
Predicted Playing 11:
Rohit Sharma (C), Shubhman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh