India wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant and pacer Arshdeep Singh were benched for the opening clash at Dubai International Stadium.

Highlights:

• India defeated Bangladesh in their Champions Trophy 2025 opener.
• The India vs. Pakistan Champions Trophy 2025 clash will be held in Dubai.

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly backed Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir’s decision to exclude Arshdeep Singh and Rishabh Pant from India’s playing XI for their tournament opener against Bangladesh in Dubai.

Many cricket experts and fans were surprised by India’s decision to bench Rishabh Pant and Arshdeep Singh for the Bangladesh clash. However, in an exclusive conversation with Sports Tak, Sourav Ganguly backed Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma, stating that India has a quality squad and both players will get their chances in the tournament.

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“The team is very good. Everyone is a good player and will get their chance. Only 11 can play, but India has 16 quality cricketers who can fit into the playing XI at any stage. The coach and captain can choose only eleven. Rishabh Pant is a brilliant player—he will play and get his chance with time,” Ganguly told Sports Tak.

Ganguly also backed the struggling Virat Kohli, calling him a big player. He expressed hope that Kohli will regain his form in the upcoming clash against Pakistan.

“Virat Kohli’s form will be fine. He is a big player in the white-ball format. Sometimes, it happens in one or two innings. He is a big-match player. The match is big, and so is the player. In pressure situations, he has scored many runs before,” Ganguly said