Mohammed Shami included in Playing XI, Dinesh Karthik selects India’s bowling line-up for ICC Champions Trophy 2025

New Delhi: Renowned expert and commentator Dinesh Karthik, a former Indian wicketkeeper-batter, has revealed his ideal bowling lineup for India in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The tournament is scheduled to commence on February 19, with India kickstarting their journey on February 20 against Bangladesh in Dubai. A much-anticipated Group A showdown against arch-rivals Pakistan is slated for February 23 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Indian selectors picked five spinners, three pacers, and one all-rounder in the 15-member squad led by Rohit Sharma. According to Karthik, who was the member of the Indian team that won the Champions Trophy title in 2013 under MS Dhoni’s leadership, Harshit Rana will lead the bowling attack in Dubai along with Mohammed Shami, and Kuldeep Yadav will be preferred over Varun Chakaravarthy.

“I think it will be Mohamed Shami and Harshit Rana. If Bumrah is unfit, Harshit will come into the squad. The two left-arm spinners, Axar Patel and (Ravindra) Jadeja, it’s only fair to say they are all-rounders, and that is the right thing to say. And then we have Kuldeep, and then we have Hardik Pandya as the sixth bowler,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz’s HeyCB with DK show when asked about India’s bowling combination in the Champions Trophy 2025.

In the ICC tournament, returning after eight years, India will be without their star fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. The 31-year-old pacer from Ahmedabad was ruled out on February 11 due to a lower back injury. He has been replaced by Harshit, a Delhi-based fast bowler who made his ODI debut for India on February 6, 2025, against England in Nagpur. In his first 50-over match for the Men in Blue, Harshit impressed by dismissing three English batters.

Harshit was picked in India’s Champions Trophy 2025 squad ahead of Mohammed Siraj. Siraj, who last played for India in the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, has 71 wickets to his name in 44 50-over matches played so far. He was on fire for India in 2023 and also reached the No. 1 bowler’s ranking in ODIs.