The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) selectors are set to meet in Mumbai on Sunday, January 19, to pick India’s squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. The 2025 edition of the Champions Trophy is set to start on February 19 in Karachi, and India will play its matches in Dubai.
According to a report, Sanju Samson is unlikely to be picked in India’s Champions Trophy squad. Samson, who was part of the Rohit Sharma-led side that won the T20 World Cup last year, last played a 50-over match for India on December 21, 2023, against South Africa in Paarl and scored a century in that match.
It has been reported that KL Rahul, who donned wicketkeeping gloves for India in the ODI World Cup 2023, will play as a specialist batter in the Champions Trophy, and Rishabh Pant will be India’s first-choice wicketkeeper.
There’s a three-way fight between Dhruv Jurel, Ishan Kishan, and Samson as his backup, but at the moment, Jurel is winning the battle. Samson’s chances of making the cut are very slim after he decided to skip the 2024-25 edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy for Kerala due to personal reasons.
It is understood that going forward, Pant and Jurel could be one and two for India in Tests and ODIs, while Samson is believed to be only suited for the T20 version where he has scored three centuries in 2024.
