Indian Cricket Team Under Rohit Sharma Heads to Dubai for Champions Trophy
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Synopsis
The Indian men's cricket team, captained by Rohit Sharma, has departed for Dubai to participate in the ICC Champions Trophy starting February 19. The entire squad travels together, replacing injured Bumrah with Harshit Rana, and preparing for key matches against Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand.
Key Takeaways
- Rohit Sharma leads the team to Dubai for the ICC Champions Trophy.
- Group A matches are hosted at Dubai International Stadium.
- Bumrah is out with an injury; Harshit Rana replaces him.
- The team's first match is against Bangladesh on February 20.
- India aims for a successful campaign as two-time champions.
Mumbai, Feb 15 (NationPress) The senior men's cricket team of India, under the leadership of opener Rohit Sharma, has set off for Dubai from Mumbai to compete in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy, which is set to commence on February 19.
All Group A matches for the Indian team will take place at the Dubai International Stadium, with other matches being held in Pakistan. Footage from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai showed Rohit and his team, along with support staff, checking in for their flight to Dubai.
According to IANS, the original plan was for the team to depart in pairs for Dubai. However, following the BCCI policy guidelines issued last month, which mandated that the team travel together for overseas tours, a decision was made for the entire squad to leave simultaneously for the eight-team competition from Mumbai.
India will notably miss the presence of its fast-bowling leader Jasprit Bumrah, who is currently recuperating from a lower back injury sustained during the fifth Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Sydney last month.
Fast-bowling all-rounder Harshit Rana has been named as his replacement, while wrist-spinner Varun Chakaravarthy has also been included at the expense of Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was initially part of the provisional squad. Jaiswal will now be one of the non-travelling substitutes, alongside Mohammed Siraj and Shivam Dube.
As two-time Champions Trophy winners, India will kick off their 2025 campaign against Bangladesh on February 20, followed by a much-anticipated match against Pakistan on February 23. Their final Group A match will be against New Zealand on March 2.
The squad for the ICC Champions Trophy includes: Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.
