India announce delayed Champions Trophy squad

Virat Kohli to lead the 15-man team in England to defend title

NEW DELHI: India brought fit-again fast bowler Mohammed Shami back into their squad to defend the Champions Trophy after ending their battle with the world governing body over financial conditions.

Shami and batsman Rohit Sharma are the only two changes from the team that played England in a three-match one-day series in India this year.

 

Shami was brought in at the expense of leg-spinner Amit Mishra while Sharma replaced Lokesh Rahul, who is recuperating from a shoulder surgery last month.

India's participation in the premier 50-over tournament, to be played in England and Wales from June 1, had been in doubt after its powerful cricket board fought the International Cricket Council (ICC) over revenue sharing.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) missed the April 25 deadline to announce a squad and threatened a boycott over the dispute.

#CT #TeamIndia - Virat (C), Shikhar, Rohit, Rahane, MSD (wk), Yuvraj, Kedar, Hardik, Ashwin, Jadeja, Shami, Umesh, Bhuvi, Bumrah & Manish pic.twitter.com/pQOgpO9JNf

— BCCI (@BCCI) May 8, 2017

The BCCI, the world's wealthiest cricket board, held a special general meeting on Sunday where members unanimously decided to take part in the Champions Trophy.

The BCCI is furious over the ICC's decision last month to amend rules so that less money and power is held by cricket's major powers -- England, India and Australia. The BCCI stands to lose $277 million in revenue over the next eight years under the sweeping changes.

 

The BCCI's use of the Champions Trophy as a bargaining chip was strongly criticised and Indian cricketing greats including Sachin Tendulkar urged the country to compete. The three-member selection panel avoided any major surprises, offering little joy to youngsters like Rishabh Pant despite his fine show in the Indian Premier League.

Pant, 19, was named among five players kept on standby, with Suresh Raina, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur and Dinesh Karthik. India, who beat England in the 2013 final, take on arch-rivals Pakistan in their opening game on June 4.

Squad

Virat Kohli (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammad Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Manish Pandey