"There would have been an X-factor" - Suresh Raina reckons India missed a trick by not picking aggressive batter in Champions Trophy 2025 squad

Former India batter Suresh Raina feels that the selectors should have picked T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav in the 15-member squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy. According to Raina, Suryakumar possesses an X-factor that will be missed by the Men in Blue during the ICC event.

Chief selector Ajit Agarkar named Team India's squad for the 2025 Champions Trophy on Saturday, January 18. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul were picked over Suryakumar as middle-order batters, while Rishabh Pant also found a place as the wicketkeeper-batter.

Speaking on Star Sports Press Room, Raina disagreed with Indian selectors' decision to leave Suryakumar out of the 15-member squad. He said (as quoted by news agency PTI):

"Surya was an integral part of the World Cup squad. He is a 360 player who can score at 9 runs per over at any stage of the game. He can dominate the opposition and bats in a different way.

"If Surya was there, there would have been an X-factor; he will be missed. The responsibility will be now on the top three who are not in form. Surya is someone who can bat in any position," Raina added.

While Suryakumar has a sensational record in T20Is, he has struggled to make an impact in one-day cricket despite being given a number of opportunities. The 34-year-old has featured in 37 ODIs so far and has scored 773 runs at an average of 25.76 and a strike rate of 105.02, with just four half-centuries to his name.

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"Gill got the vice-captaincy at the right time" - Raina

While Raina did not agree with the decision to leave out Suryakumar from India's Champions Trophy squad, he backed the move to name Shubman Gill as vice-captain. The former India batter termed Gill as the team's next superstar.

"Gill got the vice-captaincy at the right time. He is the next superstar of India cricket, and has done remarkably well in ODIs. Rohit knows how to mentor a youngster and what value Shubman will bring in," the 38-year-old commented.

In 47 one-dayers, Gill has smashed 2,328 runs at an excellent average of 58.20 and a strike rate of 101.74, with six hundreds and 13 fifties. The elegant right-handed batter has a best of 208 in ODIs.