Team India started their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign today (February 20) against fellow Asian team Bangladesh at the Dubai International Stadium. Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto won the toss and opted to bat first in the contest.

Men in Blue made an interesting decision regarding their playing XI by picking inexperienced Harshit Rana over Arshdeep Singh. In Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, many expected Arshdeep to handle the new ball and death over responsibilities, considering his success in the roles in the T20 format over the past few years.

The left-arm pacer also played a crucial role in India’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign in West Indies and the USA last year. He also impressed during an ODI series in South Africa last year, where he picked up ten wickets across three matches.

However, the team management overlooked him and chose Harshit Rana as Mohammed Shami’s pace bowling partner for their first match in the Champions Trophy. Rana made his ODI debut earlier this month against England and picked up six wickets in three games while conceding runs at an economy rate of 6.95.

Fans took note of Arshdeep Singh’s non-inclusion and expressed their displeasure by sharing memes on social media platforms. One post read:

“How Can Harshit Rana Play Above Arshdeep Singh. What A Stupid Decision. Favouritism At Its Peak.”

Here are some more reactions:

“I would have fielded first” – India captain Rohit Sharma after toss of IND vs BAN Champions Trophy 2025 clash

Speaking after losing the toss, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said (via Cricbuzz):

“I would have fielded first. We have played a few years back here so we felt the ball comes on better under lights. All looking good. Everyone is fit and fine to go. Let’s hope we start well. We are ready for any challenge.

“There is no looking back, every game becomes important in this tournament. From the last ODI that we played, Varun Chakravarthy misses out. Ravindra Jadeja comes in for him. Arshdeep Singh makes way for (Mohammad) Shami.”

Here are the playing XIs of both teams for today’s Champions Trophy 2025 match-

India playing XI: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul (WK), Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammad Shami, Harshit Rana.

Bangladesh playing XI: Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto (C), Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim (WK), Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman.

Do you think India made the right call with the selection of their playing XI for their opening match of the Champions Trophy 2025? Let us know in the comments section.