India will kick off their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign against Bangladesh on February 20 at the Dubai International Stadium. India have great momentum heading into the tournament after a comprehensive 3-0 win over England. India need a good start to the tournament to have high hopes of reaching the semifinal. It's a short tournament so teams need two wins out of three league matches to qualify. After the Bangladesh clash, India will play Pakistan on February 23 and New Zealand on March 2. Given that Pakistan and New Zealand are both capable of beating India, the Men in Blue can't afford to lose against Bangladesh. India tried many combinations in the England ODI series and they must have finalised the playing XI for the ICC Champions Trophy, however, there could be a few changes if the conditions demand.

Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma will open the innings. Both players had a great run in the ODI series vs England. Gill scored two fifties and a hundred while Rohit also scored a hundred in the second ODI. Virat Kohli, who scored a fifty in the final game, will bat at three. Shreyas Iyer was a gamble that paid off for India in the England series and with him scoring two fifties in three matches, he has confirmed his place in the XI. KL Rahul did not score many runs, but he played well in the third ODI where he scored 40 runs. India will have to take a call on Rahul and if they want to play Rishant Pant ahead of him. Pant did not get a game against England, but if there is one game where India can try him, then it's against Bangladesh who have a very heavy spin attack and Pant is strong against the spinners.

If the conditions are favourable for spinners, India could make a bold move and play both Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja, with Hardik Pandya being rested. Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav could also be included. Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh should be the two pacers. For the unversed, Jasprit Bumrah won't be available for India as he was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury.

India's Likely XI vs Bangladesh Clash: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill (Vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK), Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy.

India Squad: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Shubman Gill (Vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Rishabh Pant (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohd. Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Varun Chakaravarthy.

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