Champions Trophy: India faces key test against Bangladesh today

A turbulent recent cricketing past has made a resonant effort mandatory for India in the Champions Trophy, and their opening match against a tricky Bangladesh here on Thursday will be the first point in assuaging a set of existential questions surrounding this team.

They are vexing even for a pre-tournament favourite like India. Can this Indian bowling unit tide over the absence of injured pace talisman Jasprit Bumrah? Can Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma summon their glory days back? Can young names like Shubman Gill ace the pressure of a multi-nation competition to deliver consistently?

In that context, the ICC showpiece is a godsend because ODI is the comfort zone of those icons and young tyros in this Indian line-up, and they will be genuinely eyeing a strong outing here.

It’s imperative that they do so -- from a team and individual perspective.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Kohli, Rohit and even head coach Gautam Gambhir, although only six months into his tenure, are living on borrowed time because the shockwaves created by the setbacks against New Zealand and Australia have not subsided yet.

Some bright signs are there though. Skipper Rohit made a century a few days back against England and Kohli a fifty, while Gambhir masterminded the dominant 4-1 and 3-0 victories in T20Is and ODIs respectively.

But the challenge India face in the Champions Trophy is vastly different from a rather cosy home series.

Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand, their opponents in Group A, are far more motivated than the seemingly disinterested England whom they faced recently, and even one defeat can change the whole league stage equation quite dramatically. — PTI

Rohit defends selectors’ call

The inclusion of five spinners in India’s Champions Trophy squad has attracted plenty of attention but captain Rohit Sharma on Wednesday defended the selectors’ call, saying three of them are all-rounders who add a lot of value to his team. Varun Chakaravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav are the two specialists spinners while the other options in that department are Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel and Washington Sundar, who all are very capable batters.