"It's their way of saying he's going to start" - Dinesh Karthik picks India's opening combination for 2025 Champions Trophy

Former India international Dinesh Karthik picked his opening combination for the Men in Blue ahead of the 2025 Champions Trophy. The wicket-keeper batter feels that Shubman Gill will open the batting alongside captain Rohit Sharma.

India's squad for the Champions Trophy also has Yashasvi Jaiswal. However, the youngster has yet to play an ODI match for the country. Jaiswal has displayed solid form in international cricket in the recent past, which could make him a contender for the opening slot.

Moreover, Jaiswal and Rohit also form a left-hand right-hand combination at the top, which could be ideal for an opening pair. However, Karthik expressed his opinion, stating Gill will open for India in the Champions Trophy. Notably, the 25-year-old batter from Punjab has been named vice-captain for the tournament.

Given that he has been named vice-captain, Karthik believes that it is an indicator that Gill will not only open but play all the matches too.

“Purely because Shubman Gill has been announced as vice-captain, it’s their way of saying he is going to start and he’s going to play all games. So, he will be opening in this Champions Trophy," Karthik said on Cricbuzz (via News18)

Shubman Gill has already played 47 ODIs for India, scoring 2328 runs at an average of 58.20 with six hundreds and 13 fifties along with a double hundred.

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Dinesh Karthik questions the lack of an additional fast bowler in India's 2025 Champions Trophy squad

The former Indian cricketer, who was also a part of the 2007 World T20 and 2013 Champions Trophy triumphs, was asked his thoughts on the squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Karthik thought that the Men in Blue could have played an extra fast bowler instead of having two left-arm spinners (Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel) in the squad.

He added that either Harshit Rana or Mohammed Siraj could have been picked as an additional pacer. While Karthik expressed his wish to see Varun Chakravarthy in the squad, he said that Kuldeep Yadav was also a fair inclusion.

“I only feel one thing. Could there have been a fast bowler instead of two left-arm spinning all-rounders? I think they found it hard to choose which one to take amongst the two. That was the only thing. Could it have been Harshit (Rana) or Siraj as the next fast bowler? That’s the only thing. Other than that, I think they’ve picked a fair squad. I hoped Varun Chakravarthy would be there, but they’ve gone for Kuldeep Yadav, fair enough."