Former batting coach Sanjay Bangar has named India’s playing XI for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match against Bangladesh. Sanjay Bangar has picked Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah as his primary seamers, assuming both are fit and available, with Mohammed Shami as the back-up seamer.
Mohammed Shami had right heel problems in the 2023 ODI World Cup. After the tournament, he underwent surgery and took a year-long break to recover. He missed important events like the home Test series against England, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the IPL and the T20 World Cup. Shami has now fully recovered.
Mohammed Shami is not a starter for me – Sanjay Bangar
During a discussion on Star Sports’ show ‘Follow the Blues’, Sanjay Bangar chose his preferred eleven for the match against Bangladesh. He said that if both Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah are fit, Mohammed Shami could be left out of the playing XI.
“You take out one of the fast bowlers. If Arshdeep and Bumrah are available, then you can afford to leave out someone like Shami. So for me, Shami is not a starter,” Bangar said.
After proving his aptitude in domestic cricket for Bengal, Shami has been included in the squad for the five-match T20I series against England. He has also been included in the 15-member team of the prestigious tournament. India will play their first match against Bangladesh on February 20 in Dubai.
Rishabh Pant May Be On Benches – Sanjay Bangar
The former India all-rounder said Ravindra Jadeja or Axar Patel might not make it to the final XI. Bangar emphasized that Rishabh Pant could end up on the bench for the first match of the Champions Trophy in India 2025.
“Then one between Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel and a reserve wicketkeeper. So in this case, Rishabh Pant can be on the benches,” Bangar observed.
“My XI would be Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah and Arshdeep Singh,” he said.
He has improved his fitness and is ready to bowl – Sanjay Bangar
During the interaction, Sanjay Bangar said that Ajit Agarkar was convinced of Mohammed Shami’s fitness. Bangar noted that India’s bowling attack looks strong with the return of Shami, along with Kuldeep Yadav. He highlighted Shami’s consistent efforts in all three formats for his national team.
“The bowling is looking very, very good with Shami back and Kuldeep back. Shami, as far as you know, was working from one format to another, where he has played in three formats for his national team,” he replied.
“Therefore, it is a clear indication that, over time, he has improved his fitness and is ready to bowl the number of overs that are required to bowl with high intensity. Therefore, he should play most of the games from the beginning, first match against England, and the more matches he plays, the better he will be, because that is what history suggests about Mohammed Shami,” Bangar reasoned.
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