“Shubman or Virat could be among them” - Yuvraj Singh’s father on players potentially dropped from India’s 2025 Champions Trophy squad

Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh's father, Yograj Singh, has said he was worried several players, including Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli, might be dropped for the upcoming 2025 Champions Trophy. He complimented the selectors for sticking to the out-of-form star players like Kohli and Rohit Sharma despite the recent poor form.

India are coming off back-to-back Test series losses to New Zealand and Australia, following a 0-2 ODI series defeat in Sri Lanka. Kohli's form has been a major cause for concern with the champion batter averaging under 22 since the beginning of last year.

Speaking to ANI on India's 2025 Champions Trophy squad, Yograj said [quoted by TOI]:

"I really want to congratulate the BCCI and selectors who supported the team. I have always said that Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli should not be dropped. If you drop them, then your team will fall apart. We may have lost in Australia, but we should not forget that we have beaten them in two series too. I was worried that 5-6 people might be dropped - Shubman or Virat could be among them."

He added:

"I was supporting them, so I think this is the best thing that has happened. I want to congratulate the board, the think tank, and the selectors. I appreciate these people."

India announced their 15-member 2025 Champions Trophy squad two days back, with Rohit Sharma as captain and Shubman Gill as his deputy.

Team India squad for 2025 Champions Trophy

Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja

India will begin their 2025 Champions Trophy a month from now

Rohit and Kohli will look to go one step further from the 2023 ODI World Cup [Credit: Getty]

Team India will begin their quest for a third Champions Trophy title against Bangladesh on February 20. The Men in Blue finished runners-up in the previous edition of the tournament in 2017, losing to Pakistan in the summit clash.

India were joint-winners of the Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka in 2002 and triumphed for a second time in 2013. Rohit Sharma's men are part of Group A in the eight-team competition, with Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand being the other sides in the group.

The much-awaited India-Pakistan clash will take place in Dubai on February 23. India's last ICC ODI event was the 2023 World Cup at home, where the side finished runners-up to Australia.