Rohit Sharma Caught Saying, ‘Now I Have to Discuss Family Matters’: Viral Video Shows Conversation with Ajit Agarkar

New Delhi: Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav have made it to India’s provisional 15-man squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to kick off on February 19. Ahead of the tournament, this squad will take on England in three ODIs in early February. Harshit Rana has been called up as a backup for Bumrah, who may not be completely ready for the initial two matches of the series.

Injury Concerns for Bumrah and Kuldeep
Both Bumrah and Kuldeep were dealing with injury concerns leading up to the squad announcement. Kuldeep has been recovering from hernia surgery since November, while Bumrah had a stress-related injury during the fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

The squad will be captained by Rohit Sharma, with Shubman Gill as his vice-captain. Newcomer Yashasvi Jaiswal has been selected for the first time in an ODI setup and is expected to be a reserve opener for the Champions Trophy.

Middle Order and Allrounders Retain Spots
Virat Kohli will occupy the No. 3 spot, and the middle-order is unchanged from the 2023 ODI World Cup squad, with Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and allrounders Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, and Axar Patel all retaining their places. Rishabh Pant will serve as the second wicketkeeper in the squad, preferred over Sanju Samson, who didn’t participate in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy.

Rohit Sharma’s unfiltered discussion on family matters during squad announcement delay for ICC Champions Trophy 2025

It was already two and a half hours past the scheduled time for the announcement of India’s squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. However, things took an interesting turn when Rohit Sharma was seen discussing something with Ajit Agarkar in Hindi, unaware that the microphone was still on.

In the conversation, Rohit was overheard saying, “Mujhe abhi aur 2 ghante baithna padega, ab ye sab cheezein family ka discuss karna padega, ab sab mere ko bol rahe hain.” As the video went viral, people started speculating about a “family matter” being discussed. It was reported that the BCCI had imposed certain restrictions regarding family travel with players for the tournament. When a reporter asked Rohit about it, he responded with, “Who told you about the rules? Has it come from any official source? Let it come officially first.”

What is this all about? pic.twitter.com/PspYpUqfYv

— Ankit Kumar (@journal_ankit) January 18, 2025

Washington Sundar is the fourth allrounder in the squad, which includes just four specialist bowlers. Mohammed Shami, who returned to action in the T20I squad against England after a long injury break, has also been named. Shami was the highest wicket-taker in the 2023 ODI World Cup.

Mohammed Siraj has been excluded from the 15-man squad, with Arshdeep Singh making the cut. Arshdeep was the highest wicket-taker in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and impressed during India’s ODI series in South Africa in 2023.

Upcoming ODIs and Champions Trophy Fixtures
The final squad for the Champions Trophy must be submitted to the ICC by February 11. India will play three ODIs against England on February 6, 9, and 12, marking their first 50-over matches since the Sri Lanka tour in August 2024.

India’s group-stage matches in the Champions Trophy will take place in Dubai, where they will face Bangladesh on February 20, Pakistan on February 23, and New Zealand on March 2. The Indian government’s refusal to travel to Pakistan due to security concerns means all of India’s matches will be played in Dubai.

India squad for Champions Trophy 2025: Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill (vice-captain), Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja