5 Indian players who deserve a spot in the ICC Champions Trophy squad

With India officially confirming that they will take part in ICC Champions Trophy, next on the agenda is the squad for the tournament. Virat Kohli will lead the side in his first major ICC tournament after being given the captaincy across all formats.

The likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni are certainties in the squad and the form of the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah in IPL 2017 have only strengthened their case. There are others, however, who are in great form and have represented the country earlier as well, who deserve a chance.

Extra Cover: ICC Champions Trophy 2017: Probable Indian Squad

Here are 5 Indian players who deserve a spot in the ICC Champions Trophy squad:

Manish Pandey

With the return of Yuvraj Singh and the emergence of Kedar Jadhav as an explosive middle-order batsman who can also turn his arm over, Manish Pandey has almost been forgotten. The 27-year-old averages nearly 45 in ODIs and despite an impressive start to his ODI career, he hasn’t played one in 2017.

His performances for KKR in IPL 2017 highlights just how good he is in the middle-order. Capable of accelerating at the end and also constructing an inning, the Karnataka-born batsman is the ideal player to have in the middle-order.

Although India have plenty of depth in that department with the likes of Dhoni, Yuvraj and Jadhav in the side, you can never have too many in-form players and that is why Pandey deserves a recall after being axed due to poor form.

Suresh Raina

Raina is in stunning form and has a great record in England

With an ODI average in excess of 35 and strike rate of nearly 95 with some handy off-spin, it should surprise no one to see that Suresh Raina is one of India’s most successful middle-order batsman. The 30-year-old hasn’t played an ODI since October 2015 but as the selectors showed with the inclusion of Yuvraj Singh earlier in the year, time away from the format doesn’t diminish his chances of making it.

What does help Raina’s cause is not only the fact that he is an all-rounder and a finisher in the middle-order but he is in good form and also has a good record in England. The southpaw is the Lions’ leading run-getter and third overall in this year’s IPL and averages nearly 50 with three fifties to his name. His numbers in England aren’t too shabby either as he averages nearly 40 and has a strike rate in excess of 110 in ODIs in England.

Experience and familiarity of conditions make him a safe bet as India look to reclaim the crown they won in 2013.

Kuldeep Yadav

After an impressive Test debut, Kuldeep Yadav is firmly on the selectors’ radars. The fact that the youngster offers variety in the bowling line-up and an option that few teams have in their arsenal should be in his favor as the selectors set out to pick the side for the Champions Trophy.

Impressive performances in the IPL at various stages of the innings, the control that he provides and also the fact that he can contribute some crucial lower-order runs as well make Kuldeep an ideal candidate. If not in the starting XI at least in the squad to add variety and provide some much-needed depth with both the bat and the ball.

Yuzvendra Chahal

After the success of several leggies in ODIs, India should try to pick one of their own

Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja are India’s first-choice spinners across all the formats. Ad while it might be difficult for anyone to replace them in the XI, India will need another spinner in the squad as a back-up. Courtesy of his exploits for India and consistent performances in the IPL over the past few seasons, Chahal is on the fringes of the national side.

On good batting tracks, the value of a wrist spinner shouldn’t be underestimated and Chahal has certainly done enough to warrant a spot in the side. With plenty of teams still struggling to pick leg spinners and the success of Imran Tahir, Adil Rashid and Adam Zampa in ODIs, India could certainly do with a good leggie in their ranks.

With Amit Mishra growing out of favor, the 26-year-old from Haryana will certainly make for the ideal backup option, if not in the XI then in the squad.

Rishabh Pant

Pant has been a revelation and might be a dark horse selection that can provide some impetus at the top of the innings

He might still be a teenager but Rishabh Pant has continued to dominate the headlines ever since he picked up a willow and donned the Indian colors. With Murali Vijay and KL Rahul injured, Ajinkya Rahane not in great form, India are short on openers with only Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma fit and firing ahead of the Champions Trophy.

With the backup opening slot up for grabs, the addition of Pant certainly makes a lot of sense as it affords them a lot of flexibility. Not only does he provide a right-left combination at the top of the order should they choose to open with him, he also acts as a backup keeper and play in the middle-order as well.

On true batting surfaces, his explosive hitting and the exuberance of youth will certainly be in his favor.