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Former England batter Kevin Pietersen has revealed his preferred India playing XI for their opening game upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025 against Bangladesh, which will take place on February 20.
Kevin Pietersen picks India’s playing XI: Key omissions
His selection notably excluded pacer Harshit Rana, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, and the spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Washington Sundar. Harshit Rana, who made his ODI debut against England, played all three matches in the recent series. He was later named in India’s final Champions Trophy squad, replacing Jasprit Bumrah, who was initially part of the provisional squad. Meanwhile, Varun Chakravarthy also earned his ODI cap in the same series and eventually secured a spot in the final squad, replacing Yashasvi Jaiswal. Despite these inclusions, Pietersen opted against selecting them in his playing XI.
Pietersen on his bowling choices
Before announcing his final XI on Star Sports, Pietersen explained his reasoning for choosing Kuldeep Yadav over Chakravarthy and Arshdeep Singh over Rana in the pace attack.
“Chakravarthy has been very good, but I think Kuldeep has been outstanding in terms of his performances and the numbers he has produced. I like having a left-arm seamer, so that’s why Arshdeep starts for me. The three seamers in my XI would be Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, and Hardik Pandya. Then, of course, Jadeja is always my first pick, and the rest of the spin attack consists of Kuldeep and Axar Patel,” Pietersen said.
Also READ: From Jasprit Bumrah to Saim Ayub: List of players ruled out of Champions Trophy 2025
Pietersen on India’s batting order
Pietersen believed India’s top order is shaping up well for the Champions Trophy 2025, highlighting the strong performances of key batters. Speaking on Star Sports, he emphasized the importance of KL Rahul batting at No. 5, ensuring he gets enough time at the crease to build an innings.
“One thing they’ll be happy about is that Virat Kohli got runs today. So Rohit’s got runs. Gill, Shreyas… it’s a pretty formidable start, I tell you that. I want KL Rahul at No. 5 because I want him to face more deliveries. He came in today with 17 overs to go, which allowed him time to settle and construct his innings. I don’t see KL Rahul as the kind of batter who walks in with three overs left and smashes 30 off 12 balls. He needs time to get himself in, especially in one-day cricket, and the best way to give him that opportunity is to bat him at No. 5,” Pietersen concluded.
Pietersen’s comments indicate his preference for a structured batting lineup, with Rahul playing a stabilizing role in the middle order, rather than being used as a finisher. His views also suggest confidence in India’s top four, comprising Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer, as the team prepares for the high-stakes Champions Trophy in the UAE.
