India will play 3 ODIs v England before the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Dubai.
Former India opener Aakash Chopra commented on Shubman Gill's appointment as vice-captain for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and the England ODIs, saying it strengthens his standing in the squad.
BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar and captain Rohit Sharma announced the India squad for ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and England ODIs on Saturday and as a surprise, Shubman Gill was named the vice-captain of the Men in Blue side.
Hardik Pandya, who was India's vice-captain in the 2023 World Cup, was snubbed and Gill, who was vice-captain on the Sri Lanka tour, has persisted with. Aakash Chopra has said that if he has been made deputy, BCCI sees him as a successor to Rohit Sharma in the future.
"Gill being made the vice-captain means he is the heir apparent. They were focusing on him earlier and are continuing to do so now. To be fair, they should as well. His numbers in ODIs are very, very good," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Chopra also expressed concern that Yashasvi Jaiswal, who was named in India’s ODI and Champions Trophy 2025 squad, was left out of the five-match T20I series against England.
"No one doubted that Jaiswal would be the third opener, and he is. But he won’t play any matches against England or start in the Champions Trophy XI. You could have played him in the T20Is against England," Chopra suggested.
India is set to play a five-match T20I series against England starting January 22 in Kolkata, followed by three ODIs before the Champions Trophy in Dubai. Chopra was praiseful for selectors for including KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Virat Kohli in the India squad.
"After your three openers, you have Kohli, Iyer, and Rahul. These picks were expected and deserved. Rahul is your first-choice wicketkeeper-batter," he explained.
He also highlighted Hardik Pandya’s importance, stating, "With Pandya, your top six are sorted. There is no tension there. In my opinion, this top six is excellent. Everyone’s performance in white-ball cricket over the last year or two has been outstanding. Why fix it if it ain’t broken?"
India will begin their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 tournament against Bangladesh on February 20.