The Champions Trophy 2025 is still a couple of months to go as no announcement has been made yet on the official schedule. India will not play their group games in Pakistan and grab the Dubai International Stadium of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the event. Just before the start of the tournament, they will be taking part in three ODIs as preparation for the tournament.
India finished as the runner-up in the last Champions Trophy. The home series will mark the return of Jasprit Bumrah, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and others in the format for the very first time since July 2024. The left-arm wrist spinner, Kuldeep Yadav, will be under the eyes too, as he hasn’t featured in any competitive game since the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru with a groin injury.
The latest report claimed that Kuldeep is yet to resume bowling, which makes playing the Champions Trophy for him a race against time. The veteran has featured in 106 ODIs, where he has picked up 172 wickets at an average of 26, a strike rate of 31.2, and an economy rate of five with the help of two five-wicket hauls and seven four-wicket hauls.
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“Kuldeep is yet to start bowling. Once he starts, he will have to appear for a match simulation or two, a few days before he is given the green light. As for the England matches, it’s not impossible but tough (for Kuldeep to return), as just over a month remains for those games to begin. But as far as the Champions Trophy is concerned, there could be a chance of his comeback as there will be more time for it” The Telegraph report quoted a BCCI source.
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Kuldeep isn’t the only bowler for India to spend time at the National Cricket Academy (NCA), as the premier pacer of the side, Mohammad Shami has also been out of action for more than a year since the final of last year’s ODI World Cup against Australia.
The Uttar Pradesh spinner will also need to prove his fitness to play in the CT, as his childhood coach, Kapil Panday, remains optimistic about the spinner marking his comeback in the side.
“Kuldeep felt a bit of pain even while playing the Bengaluru Test. Then, I told him not to play further as his situation could have worsened. After that, he had a successful surgery in the groin area in Germany last month. At the Centre of Excellence, since the last week of November, he’s undergoing rehab, which includes leg exercises like squats and all.” Panday explained to the Telegraph.
The veteran informed me that the surgery on India’s spinner has already been done, and the entire process of being back in the field will depend on how he completes his rehabilitation.
In a positive update on the spinner of India, Panday shed light on Kuldeep getting a crack at bowling in the coming week and reuniting with his coach to structure a basic plan for the future.
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“This month itself, he should start bowling. I’m quite confident. He’ll be here (in Kanpur) by next week, and then we’ll make further planning. It may be a little early to predict Kuldeep’s comeback as he will resume bowling first and then has to play a practice game or two while going through the other tests and processes.” Kuldeep’s childhood coach pointed out.
“Bowling won’t be a problem for him, but how his leg feels and how comfortable he is with his run-up is important. So, if all these aspects click, I won’t be too surprised if he’s back during the England matches.” He concluded that the first ODI for India against England is on February 06 in Nagpur.