The 15-member Indian team for the Champions Trophy 2025, set to be held in February-March, has been announced. The same team will play in the three ODIs against England as well. The only difference is that if Jasprit Bumrah is not fit for the series against England, Harshit Rana will replace him. However, there are four players whose non-selection has surprised fans and sparked discussions.
1. Karun Nair
Karun Nair, the captain of Vidarbha, has been in exceptional form in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy 2024-25, scoring a record 752 runs, the most in a single edition of the tournament. His performances include five centuries, such as 112*, 163*, and 122*. He also set a world record for the most runs in List A cricket without being dismissed. Despite these remarkable achievements, he was not selected. Sachin Tendulkar indirectly recommended Nair on social media, and fans are questioning, “Did Nair make a mistake by creating history in Vijay Hazare?”
Karun Nair is in red hot form.
He can do wonders in champions trophy.
If Nitish Kumar Reddy and Harshit Rana can be fast tracked in team, why can’t Karun Nair ???
Can selectors give him second chance??#ChampionsTrophy2025 pic.twitter.com/m7yepH3JTU
— Abhay 𝕏 (@Kings_Gambit__) January 18, 2025
2. Varun Chakraborty
Varun Chakraborty, the mystery spinner, has also been a hot topic of discussion among fans and former players. He has improved immensely in recent times, particularly in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, where he took 18 wickets in 6 matches. Chakraborty was the second-highest wicket-taker in the domestic ODI tournament, taking 5 wickets in a match twice. Despite his excellent performance, he was overlooked, leading to debates about his non-selection.
Sickening. same old deadwood. Karun Nair did wonders in Vijay Hazare trophy. He didn’t get selected. Sanju Samson proved himself time & again, he’s not there, Nitish Kumar Reddy could have been a great allrounder option, he’s dumped. Gill, a fraud- Vice captain! Shame.…
— Ganeshan (@ganeshan_iyer) January 18, 2025
3. Nitish Kumar Reddy
Nitish Reddy, who impressed in the recent Australia Test series and has shown consistent performance in IPL and T20 cricket for Team India, was excluded from the Champions Trophy squad. Fans are wondering how such a talented player was overlooked when Harshit Rana was made a reserve player for the England series. This decision has sparked discussions about Reddy’s omission from the squad.
Thought : Nitish Reddy and Hardik Pandya at no 6 & 7 would have been perfect pic.twitter.com/hyvheAyToT
— 𝙎𝙂 (@stressyphile) January 18, 2025
4. Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson, who scored two centuries in four innings during the South Africa T20 series, was unexpectedly dropped from the team after missing the domestic Vijay Hazare Trophy camp. Fans are questioning this strict decision, with some arguing that a batsman who scored two centuries in just four T20 innings should not be excluded. Even Sunil Gavaskar expressed concern, saying, “How can a batsman who has scored two centuries in four T20s be left out?”