3 Players Who Deserved a Spot in India’s Champions Trophy Squad but Missed Out

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India’s Champions Trophy 2025 squad was announced on Saturday, January 18, with chief selector Ajit Agarkar and captain Rohit Sharma unveiling the 15-member team.

While the squad retained the core of the ODI World Cup 2023 team, a few changes were made, such as Axar Patel replacing Ravichandran Ashwin and young Yashasvi Jaiswal and Washington Sundar coming in for Ishan Kishan and Shardul Thakur, respectively.

Notably, Yashasvi Jaiswal is yet to make a ODI debut. He has already impressed in the other two formats with his explosive batting. However, it will be interesting to see if he gets a chance in the playing XI during the ICC event in Dubai.

On the other hand, a few deserving players, who performed consistently, failed to make the cut. Here are three players who missed out on India’s Champions Trophy 2025 squad despite their recent form and performances:

1. Karun Nair

Karun Nair has been in scintillating form in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy, smashing five centuries and averaging an unbelievable 752 in the tournament. The 33-year-old has led Vidarbha to the finals with record-breaking performances, including scores of 112*, 163*, and 88*.

Fans and experts alike expected Nair to be rewarded with a place in the squad, given his consistent domestic form. However, chief selector Ajit Agarkar explained in the press conference that the squad had to be limited to 15 players, and there wasn’t room for everyone. The exclusion of Nair has raised questions about the value of domestic performances in India’s selection process.

2. Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj’s omission from the squad was arguably the biggest surprise. Since 2022, no pacer in the world has taken more ODI wickets than Siraj. With 71 wickets in 44 matches at an economy of just 5.0, he has been a standout performer in white-ball cricket.

Despite his stellar record, Siraj was overlooked in favor of Arshdeep Singh, whose ability to bowl in the death overs gave him an edge in UAE conditions. Additionally, the Indian management’s decision to carry only three frontline pacers (Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and Arshdeep) meant Siraj had to miss out. Captain Rohit Sharma also mentioned in the press conference that the team wanted all-rounders in the squad, which led to the tough call of excluding Siraj.

3. Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson has been in the reckoning for India’s white-ball squads for some time, especially as a backup wicketkeeper-batter. However, the selectors opted for KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant as the two wicketkeeping options. Samson’s decision to skip the Vijay Hazare Trophy might have influenced the selectors’ decision.

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