The 2017 ICC Champions Trophy is about to get underway in a few days time and the teams are already preparing themselves for the tournament. A lot has been expected from the defending champions, India, who will look to get one more ICC championship under their belt.
The selectors have announced a strong 15-member squad led by Virat Kohli. The squad has all the bases covered and the Men in Blue could go all the way in the tournament. Manish Pandey, who was in the original squad, was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury and Dinesh Karthik was named as his replacement.
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A lot of questions have to be answered before India take on Pakistan in their first match of the extravaganza on June 4. Who will open the innings for India? What will be the bowling combination? Will Mohammed Shami play? Let us take a look at India’s probable playing XI ahead of the tournament.
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Squad:
Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ajinkya Rahane, Dinesh Karthik, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav.
Openers
It was almost certain that KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma will open the batting for the defending champions in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. However, in-form Rahul had to undergo a shoulder surgery that saw him skip the IPL and the Champions Trophy.
In the absence of the Karnataka batsman, the selectors will have a huge headache in figuring out the right combination at the top of the order.
With an average of over 53 at the top of the order, Sharma is certain to make the cut as one of the two openers. Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane are in contention to partner Rohit at the top. Dhawan has been India’s best batsman in the last two ICC 50-over tournaments but the left-hander has been in and out of the Indian team due to his inconsistency.
On the other hand, Rahane was often criticised for being slow with the bat and it seems like the team management is not having enough faith in the Mumbaikar in the ODI format which is evident by the fact that he wasn’t the first-choice starter in the ODI series against England earlier this year (was made to sit out in the first two matches and replaced an out-of-form Dhawan in the third and final ODI, which was a dead rubber).
In all likelihood, Dhawan will partner Rohit at the top of the order and the duo will look to recreate the magic they did in the same tournament four years ago.
Middle order
The middle order is almost settled for Virat Kohli and co. going into the Champions Trophy. The skipper himself will bat at number 3 and will look to lead the way by scoring a lot of runs. He was not in the best of form during the IPL and has the ability to turn the tides when he takes the field in England.
Following the skipper will be veteran Yuvraj Singh, who was called back into the Indian team earlier this year. His performances against England made sure that he was retained in the Indian squad for the all-important Champions Trophy.
This could be his last ICC tournament and the dashing southpaw will look to put on a memorable performance. He might need to roll his arms if needed as he will be the backup bowler for the front-line bowlers.
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The major talking point going into the tournament is the form of the future of former skipper MS Dhoni. Dhoni stepped down from captaincy in ODIs and T20Is earlier this year and it is believed that the Champions Trophy will have a huge role in him making a decision about his future.
Irrespective of what pans out in the future, Dhoni will look to give his best and help India defend the title that they won under his captaincy in 2013.
Until the start of 2017, India were looking for a batsman who can bat at number 6 and finish off the innings for Virat Kohli and co. The three-match series against England gave an answer to it as Kedar Jadhav rose to the occasion and not only was adjudged the Player of the tournament but also sealed his place in the Indian ODI team.
He will look to carry on his good form in the Champions Trophy as he is one of the most crucial players in the team. His off-spinners will come in handy in the middle overs as he doubles up as a part-timer.
Spinners
If the spinners do well, India has a better chance of going all the way in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. Both R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja were the top-2 bowlers in the Test matches and have done well for India in the last one year. But, the same cannot be said of their form in the ODI format as R Ashwin has struggled to carry on his Test form to the ODIs.
The Tamil Nadu offie has conceded more than 60 runs in all the matches he played since the start of 2016 while Jadeja was slightly better than the former. Jadeja looked rusty with the ball in the IPL while Ashwin had a much-needed two-month break that saw him miss the IPL due to sports hernia.
Both these players are proven match winners in the past and are mentally strong to revive themselves. They have risen to the occasion in India’s last two 50-over ICC tournaments and in all likelihood, they will deliver when the tournament gets underway.
Pacers
This might be the first time in the history of that an Indian team is going into an ICC tournament with the fans having more faith in the bowlers than the batsmen. All the four fast bowlers in the squad are in terrific form and the team management will have a huge headache in picking the right men to do the job for them.
Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav and Mohammad Shami are fighting for the three remaining spots in the XI and it is certain that Bumrah is set to feature in the XI without a second thought. The Gujarat pacer is one of the best death bowlers going around at the moment and is very important for India’s chances in the tournament.
Whenever Mohammad Shami has played ODIs for India, he brings out his best. He has played his last ODI match for India in 2015 and in spite of that, he might be included in the playing XI.Shami is someone who picks wickets at regular intervals and controls the run flow. He has a great yorker in his armoury and it is one of the reasons why he is very good at the death.
India’s best bowler in the Test season, Umesh Yadav is set to miss out from the XI as the other bowlers slightly edge him out in the limited-over formats. In all likelihood, Bhuvenshwar Kumar, the winner of the purple cap in the for the second consecutive season will get the nod alongside Bumrah and Shami.
He is very good with the new ball and has improved a lot as a death bowler. Along with Bumrah and Shami, Bhuvi forms a deadly combo in the death overs as all these three bowlers are capable of hitting the yorker length at will and have some variations in their armour.
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Probable XI:
The form of their batsmen must be a concern for the team management but all are experienced enough to come good when needed. With India set to play just a maximum of five matches in the tournament, the team management won’t tinker a lot with the playing XI.
India might go in with the Champions Trophy with six specialist batsmen and five specialist bowlers, the same combination as the 2013 edition. If they want some depth in batting, the team management might be tempted to include Hardik Pandya in the XI in place of one of the fast bowlers. With the conditions in England set to favour the batsmen, India might go in with five specialist bowlers rather than picking Pandya, who is yet to prove himself with the ball at the International level.
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The Indian playing XI is all but settled and it will be surprising if the likes of Ajinkya Rahane and Dinesh Karthik get a chance in the XI unless a member of the playing XI suffers an injury. The Men in Blue are going into the tournament with a strong squad and have all the boxes ticked to defend their Champions trophy crown.
India’s probable playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Shami.
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