India‘s preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 got off to a rocky start as they lost the three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka 2-0. The Indian team struggled to chase down targets in all three ODIs, raising concerns ahead of the marquee tournament.

Dinesh Karthik weighs in on India’s opening combination

With the ninth edition of the Champions Trophy just a few months away and will take place in the Pakistan, former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has drawn attention to India’s potential opening batting combination.

According to Karthik, Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill are likely to be the preferred opening pair for the tournament, given their impressive chemistry and recent performances. However, this leaves the promising young talent Yashasvi Jaiswal in a backup role. He emphasized the strength of India’s middle order as well, suggesting that the team may not want to make too many changes to their batting lineup with limited preparation time remaining.

“Why? Rohit and Shubman are a very good combination. Yes, Jaiswal has a great opportunity to be the backup opener and will get his opportunity soon if Shubman doesn’t go as well as expected. And India has a very solid middle order as well,” Karthik shared with Cricbuzz.

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Team India’s squad dynamics

Gill has recently been promoted to the vice-captaincy role in the Men in Blue ODI squad, a position he secured over other contenders like KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya. This decision was made after Gautam Gambhir assumed the role of head coach for the Indian team. Gill’s rise in the leadership ranks reflects the confidence the team management has in his abilities, both as an opener and a leader.

Limited time for experiments before the Champions Trophy

India have only one more ODI series left, against England in February, before the prestigious trophy begins. Karthik believed that with just three matches remaining in their preparation, India is unlikely to experiment much with their batting order. He expressed confidence that Rohit and Shubman will be the opening pair for the Champions Trophy, leaving little room for experimentation.

“In the lead-up to the Champions Trophy, they are just going to be playing three more games. And I am pretty confident it’s going to be Rohit and Shubman opening for the Champions Trophy,” Karthik concluded.

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