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Former batting coach Sanjay Bangar has named the India playing XI for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 match against Bangladesh. Sanjay Bangar picked Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah as his opening seamers, assuming both are fit and available, with Mohammed Shami as backup seamer.
Mohammed Shami had problems with his right heel in the ODI World Cup 2023. After the tournament, he underwent surgery and took a year off to recover. He missed important events like the home Test series against England, the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, IPL and the T20 World Cup. Shami has made a full recovery.
Mohammed Shami is not a starter for me – Sanjay Bangar
During a discussion on Star Sports show ‘Follow the Blues’, Sanjay Bangar picked his preferred playing XI for the match against Bangladesh. He claimed that if both Arshdeep Singh and Jasprit Bumrah are fit, Mohammed Shami could be left out of the playing eleven.
“You take out one of the fast bowlers. If Arshdeep and Bumrah are available, then you can afford to leave out someone like a Shami. So for me, Shami is not a starter,” Bangar said.
After proving his fitness 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-man squad for the prestigious tournament. India will play their first match against Bangladesh on February 20 in Dubai.
Rishabh Pant may be on the benches – Sanjay Bangar
The former India all-rounder said that either Ravindra Jadeja or Axar Patel might not make the final eleven. Bangar highlighted that Rishabh Pant could find himself on the bench for the 2025 Indian Champions Trophy opener.
“Then one between Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel and a back-up wicketkeeper. So in that case, Rishabh Pant can be on the benches,” observed Bangar.
“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 gained 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 looks really, really good with Shami back and Kuldeep back. Shami, as you know, was working from one format to another, where he has played in three formats for his national team,” he replied.
“So it is a clear indication that over a period of time, he has gained form and is ready to bowl the number of bowls that are required to be bowled at high intensity. So he should bowl most of the games from the spot first match against England, and the more matches he plays, the better, because that’s what history suggests about Mohammed Shami,” Bangar reasoned.
