Just hours after being named to India's Champions Trophy squad, mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been sidelined with a calf injury.
Although India are playing a strong brand of 50-overs' cricket of late, they have some selection riddles to solve before they face Bangladesh in their opening match of the Champions Trophy.
Shami's run in the tournament concluded with nice scalps in five matches, averaging 25.88.
The 2025 Champions Trophy promises to be a battleground for the world's top cricketers, with several players ready to leave their mark on the tournament.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI against New Zealand in Sunday's final?
India's cricket team has embarked on a journey to Dubai for the upcoming Champions Trophy, aiming to secure another global trophy after their T20 World Cup triumph last June.
IMAGES from the Champions Trophy final played between India and New Zealand in Dubai on Sunday.
While India are on a high after a measured six-wicket win over a sprightly Bangladesh, Pakistan are evidently tense after the 60-run loss in the tournament-opener to New Zealand.
Chakravarthy's caption summed it up perfectly, ' Akkha duniya ek taraf, aur mere India ek taraf. Jai Hind.
Jasprit Bumrah has been ruled out of the ICC Champions Trophy with a back injury.
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner acknowledged the challenge posed by India's understanding of the conditions in the Champions Trophy final, but expressed confidence in his team's ability to adapt. Santner believes the experience of playing against India in a league match will help, and is hoping his batters will be better prepared to face mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy this time around.
'The stakes are too high and it would have been a complete embarrassment had Bumrah broken down in a match.'
It is understood that Yashasvi Jaiswal has a bright chance of making it to the ODI squad. His inclusion would ensure a left-handed batter in the top four.
India won't give into the temptation of tinkering with the Playing XI, feels opening batter KL Rahul.
India defeated New Zealand by 96 runs to win their third T20 World Cup title. The victory was marked by enthusiastic celebrations, consolatory gestures towards the New Zealand team, and the presence of cricket legends.
While the white-ball trophy cabinet kept getting heavier, Team India's fortunes in Test cricket swung wildly between hope and despair in 2025.
Varun Chakravarthy, who has quickly become one of India's most consistent bowlers in T20Is, further cemented his reputation with a brilliant 3-23 in the first T20I in Kolkata.
India face New Zealand in the T20 World Cup final in Ahmedabad as Suryakumar Yadav's side aim to become the first team to successfully defend the title.
Virat Kohli top-scored with a fluent 84 as India overpowered Australia by five wickets to storm into the ICC Champions Trophy final, in Dubai, on Tuesday.
Except in the IPL, the Australians have not had a good look at Varun Chakravarthy's bowling and that could spell trouble for Steve Smith and Co.
Having recently made his international comeback against England in both T20Is and ODIs, the stretchable knee caps did not go unnoticed as Mohammed Shami first tried to get a feel of the conditions by bowling a few deliveries with a short run-up.
A look back at the thrilling encounters between India and New Zealand in ICC tournament knockout stages, highlighting key moments and memorable performances.
'...I had to be disciplined, just stick to the basics'
Varun Chakravarthy had a second coming in international cricket with 17 wickets in his last seven T20Is and 12 of them in South Africa in batting-friendly conditions.
India, bidding to become the first team to successfully defend the Twenty20 World Cup title, face an England side building momentum in their semifinal at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Thursday.
Mystery spinner bowls in nets as India prep for three-match ODI series vs England.
Though he hasn't made a big impact with the bat yet, Rinku Singh has good experience at Eden Gardens. He has played 25 IPL matches here, scored 540 runs in 23 innings, and has a strike rate of 157.4. Will the team management back him as a finisher in this must win game?
Sanju Samson said he wants play another match-winning performance in the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand on Sunday, aiming to secure a record third title for India.
Ravichandran Ashwin's tactical foresight proved spot on as mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy dismissed the dangerous Travis Head early in India's Champions Trophy semifinal against Australia.
New Zealand coach Gary Stead has acknowledged the threat posed by India's mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy in the upcoming Champions Trophy final.
Varun Chakravarthy, a key player for both the Indian team and the Kolkata Knight Riders, emphasizes the importance of consistency and reveals he is working on new variations to his spin bowling.
Spinner Varun Chakravarthy justified his selection with a five-wicket haul and bowled India to a 44-run victory against New Zealand.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajeev Shukla said that head coach Gautam Gambhir has a firm grip on the team and is popular among the players.
The Namibia match could be a God-sent opportunity for an out-of-form Sanju Samson to get into run-scoring mode after a string of failures that saw him lose his place to Ishan Kishan, who is going through a purple patch.
'People said, 'Don't come to India. If you try, you won't be able to'.'
India's T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav believes spinner Varun Chakravarthy has been a different player since his comeback to international cricket last year.
Varun Chakravarthy is the second oldest debutant for India in One-Day Internationals after Farokh Engineer.
His last stint with the Indian team in the UAE, during the 2021 T20 World Cup, was one to forget, but four years later, he has redeemed himself to become an invaluable asset for the Indian cricket team.
Who do you think should be part of India's playing XI for the opening match against USA?
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