Team India had a thorough net session on Wednesday (February 26) in Dubai, five days before their final group stage clash against New Zealand in Champions Trophy 2025. However, the skipper Rohit Sharma remained on the sidelines just having a look at the other batters do their thing.
For the unversed, Rohit is nursing a hamstring injury and was visibly in pain during the game against Pakistan on Sunday (February 23). He went off the field for some time during the fielding innings as well but returned to lead the side even when he was in a little bit of pain. He batted later as well scoring 20 runs off 15 balls opening the game with three fours and a six to his name.
It was a three-hour batting session as Rohit observed from the sidelines. According to a report in Cricbuzz, Rohit is being cautious making sure he doesn't aggravate the injury with India set to play New Zealand and in the knockouts next week including the final on March 9.
Meanwhile, Shubman Gill skipped the practice session entirely and it is understood that he was unwell. But there are no worries about his availability as he is expected to be fit in time for the New Zealand clash. In another update, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant has full recovered from illness and batted for an extended period in the nets. With suspense around Rohit Sharma for the next game, as India might not want to take any risk with their captain, Pant might well get an opportunity to showcase his skills.
Moreover, with the game against the Kiwis being inconsequential, India might also make a few changes to their playing XI. There is a quick turnaround for them between with only one day's gap between the match against New Zealand and the semi-final on Tuesday (March 4).
Squad
Rohit Sharma (c), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakravarthy, Arshdeep Singh